Harry Potter and the Ninja Kitsune
by Writerwyrm
Summary: Harry Potter was treated horribly by the Dursleys for years. How come no one noticed? How come no one did anything? AU Someone did. Rating for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Harry Potter was treated in ways that bordered on criminal neglect and possibly abuse for years. How come no one ever noticed? How come no one ever did anything? A.U. Someone did. This contains an Original Character as a main character. This is not meant to turn into a Mary Sue, and I personally doubt it will. If it does start leaning in that direction, please warn me, I'll try to adjust. I half wanted to call this Harry Potter and the Half-blood Kitsune, but that's too close to the sixth book.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Chapter One

It had been approximately four years since the downfall of the Dark Lord at the 'hands' of an infant, and for the most part, people were concerned with getting on with their lives. Those who had lived in fear were no longer as afraid of course. Those who had followed him and managed to remain out of Azkaban were, unsurprisingly, looking for a new leader or attempting to become that new leader. Plius Govanty was one of the latter. A low ranking death eater during the reign of the Dark Lord, he had been considered too much of the bookish type to be thought a serious contender. No one had taken him seriously. Not the lower ranking death eaters, not the inner circle, and certainly not the Dark Lord himself. Even the ministry didn't take him seriously, though he had to admit to being grateful for that one.

But that would all be over soon. And it was all due to those books of his that everyone laughed at. Plius Govanty ran an arcane bookstore in Knockturn Alley. And in one of those books he found a ritual that would give him more power than even Voldemort had ever dreamed of. And then everyone would be begging to follow him. His small, round face contorted in malicious glee at the thought of Lucius Malfoy on his hands and knees, or better yet, face down in the dirt, begging for simply a scrap of power.

The ritual itself was almost unheard of, which was just as well for his purposes. It was very dark (which didn't bother him at all) and difficult (which did bother him a good deal). It also involved a lot of difficult to get a hold of ingredients, and that was even without mentioning the required ten fresh children's hearts. Yes, the last part did make him feel a bit squeamish, but for absolute power and immortality, he could get over it.

The main problem was that not all the things he needed were even available in England, and he had no desire or opportunity to leave his business to go traipsing around the world in search of what he needed. So over the years, he acquired the parts he needed from various sources. He was almost finished, and luck had smiled at him at last.

He only needed Kitsune blood and the children now. And one of his suppliers had informed him that he had a contact who could give him a supply of Kitsune blood. And that contact was due any minute now. After that, how hard could it be to snatch ten muggle brats? Maybe he should grab one or two extras, in case of mishaps.

A knock pulled him from his thoughts. Plius smiled nastily. The only one who would knock on a shop door would be a supplier. "Come in."

A young woman, short, with reddish hair, wearing a dark blue cloak came in. "You are Plius Govanty?"

"I am. You have what I ordered?" He didn't really care to hear the woman's name. It wasn't as if he had any need of her besides the supplies.

"I have." The woman came in, as Plius magiced the sign to 'Closed'. Kitsune blood was illegal after all. "I have more than you could ever need. You didn't say how much you wanted."

"I need at least twelve milliliters."

"Easily done. Though I must admit to curiosity. Kitsune blood is not used very often, maybe a handful of extremely complicated potions and a couple difficult rituals. You aren't a potions master, so what do you want it for?"

Plius frowned. Noisy woman. Didn't she know bad things happen to those who are too curious? "That is not your concern. All you need to do is supply the material. What does it matter to you what I do with it?"

The woman smiled. Plius relaxed instantly. She wasn't a threat. She was just a curious woman. Perhaps it might even be a good idea to tell her. "I would not dream of interfering. I merely like to know where my supplies go to. And after all, the few things that Kitsune blood is used in are so difficult and require such a powerful wizard…"

Plius' chest puffed up with pride. "And this one is more difficult than most. I am using it to perform the ritual of Black Night Ascension."

"Oh, my. But that is such an involved and complex ritual. Have you gotten the children yet?" Plius was pleased by the awe in her voice, and respect in her eyes.

"No, that is my next and final step before the ritual itself."

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

"No, you are the only one so far, dear lady."

"Good." And in that word, the trust and favor he had in and for that woman disappeared utterly. An extremely angry and vengeful-looking woman replaced the impressed, slightly girlish woman he thought was there. And she started to raise a jade fan.

For a moment Plius was confused. Then facts started to click together. Kitsune are a magical race that, much like Werewolves, could pass for human most of the time. Kitsune are generally fairly short. Kitsune, especially if they have some human in their background, often have similar coloration to foxes. Copper eyes, like this woman had, were not natural in humans but are in foxes. Kitsune have the natural ability to radiate trustworthiness much the way Veela radiate attractiveness. Kitsune, while they can learn magic, often do not use common or traditional forms. Fans are used in a rare form of Oriental magic. Kitsune get absolutely livid when anything threatens a child, of any kind. She said she had Kitsune blood, she just never mentioned that it was in her veins.

In a panic, Plius started to cast the first spell he could think of to stop her. "_Avada Kedavra_!" In this panic, Plius forgot quite possibly the most important fact and greatest benefit of Oriental magical fans.

The woman neither panicked nor dodged. She simply unfurled the fan and held it over her heart. Even though it was aimed slightly higher, the curse hit the fan and was absorbed by it. Plius didn't have more than a few seconds to stare in shock before she turned the fan and fanned in his direction, causing him to be hit with his own curse. The most important fact about Oriental magical fans is that they can absorb and reflect spells back without requiring any energy or words from the wielder. The spells can also be changed to a different one, but that requires energy either from the wielder or the spell. This woman had no problems with poetic justice.

Just to be safe, even though she saw the curse hit him, she double-checked to make sure he was dead. He was. And because she was a paranoid soul, even though it was difficult to lie to a Kitsune in full Trust Me mode, and almost impossible to lie to her without her knowing, she still checked to make sure that there was no one else in the building. There wasn't.

She did find the back room where he had enough forbidden supplies to make someone in the black market rich. He must have gotten three-quarters of the ritual's requirements without anyone realizing what he was up to. And once again, the world was saved from a threat it would never know existed. She scooped the supplies into a weightless bag. This being a bookstore, he had several of those.

She also took a look to see if any of the books were worth salvaging. She couldn't check as in-depth as she would like, but from what she saw, nothing was worth taking. Pity. From the ritual supplies, she pulled out a length of dried Devil's Snare and transfigured it into a candle, lit it, and 'accidentally' knocked it over onto the book on the desk, which 'coincidentally' was the one with the ritual in it. With a little luck, the whole store would go up in flames. As she left she cast one more spell. Had Plius been alive, he would not have recognized the incantation, not all the world uses Latin after all, but he certainly would have been familiar with the effects of the spell. It was much like a 'Notice Me Not' charm, set to last half an hour. By then, there should be nothing to find. One fire, caused by 'accident', one burned body. Case closed. If the magical world thought to do autopsies like the muggle one they would find there was no smoke in the lungs, and decide that the arson was a cover up for murder. But they didn't, so chances were no one would think twice about it. Even if they did, they would never be able to trace it to her. Now to deal with these supplies.

She did feel a twinge of regret as she left. More for the books than the man. The man had made his own choices and was now dealing with the consequences. Destroying books like that always made her a bit upset. However, from what she saw, the books were more or less ones that the world was better off without. And it took a lot for her to say that.

Charles Collex, apothecary specialist and occasional dealer in 'really rare items' (usually translated DARK), grabbed his wand as the side door opened. The only ones who used the side door were the ones who didn't want to be seen, and Charles did not want to be without a wand in any of those cases. He relaxed when he saw the small red-haired woman in a dark blue cloak.

"Liska, how are you? How did it go?"

"That depends on your definition. You were right, ritual of Black Night Ascension."

Charles shuddered.

"I agree. I wish the vampires had never invented that, and I really wish they never wrote it down!"

"I do too. Had he gotten to the children yet?"

"No, thank everything that is holy! Though, due to the requirements, he would have had to keep them alive until just before the ritual."

"Still. He's dead now?"

"I thought you hated hearing about that part."

"I hate the thought of someone using my children or anyone else's to become evil incarnate more."

"The ritual doesn't work you know. But I agree, I don't even want it tried. Yes, he's no longer a threat. Here, Happy Christmas." Liska handed him a weightless bag.

Charles looked inside and whistled backwards. "He had all this? I mean, I know I supplied him with some of this, but I didn't realize how much else he had gotten."

"He wasn't an idiot; if he got everything from one source he risked someone getting suspicious. Not to mention, I can't think of a single source where he could have gotten all this."

"What do I owe you?"

"The usual. Free supplies when I want them, and information on who's buying things I need to look out for. If you hadn't informed me of this guy buying Chimera tails, Manticore horns, and Lethifold cloth, I may not have known to stop in time. And do let me know the instant anyone starts asking about Kitsune blood."

"Of course, but are you sure there's nothing more I can do? This stuff is worth almost a quarter of a million galleons. And the way you have tendency to bring things back so I can sell them again…" It was perhaps a very Slytherin way; to sell dark objects so that he knew who was buying, and could report threats.

"Did you pick up anything interesting since my last visit?"

Charles thought it over carefully. "I did pick up a book on Indian weather magic."

"American Indian or India Indian?"

"American. You interested?"

"I'll take a look." She browsed through the heavy leather-bound tome. "I doubt I could cast any of these, but I do like learning how others do magic. Alright, I'll take it. Oh, any chance I can have first pick of any other books on types of magic?"

"Not a problem. Anything you want me to keep an eye out for?"

"Just, anything interesting. I should get going. Things may be heating up soon."

"Alright. Stop by anytime. And do give your mother my regards."

"I will. Good day."

Liska detected barely a hint of smoke in the air as she left the alley. If she could hardly smell it, no one else should be able to notice it for another ten minutes. More than enough time for her to be gone. And she wanted to be gone. After dealing with a necessary but unpleasant part of her job, she wanted out of the confining city for a while to clear her head. Some place quiet, with nature, maybe a park. Yes, that would be nice. She closed her eyes and pictured what she wanted. Someplace with sun, and grass, maybe a few trees, somewhere where they had never heard of the ritual of Black Night Ascension, and had no idea that some people would sink that low. Once she had the picture in mind, Liska did something that no British Witch or Wizard would dare try. She apparated without knowing a specific destination. Having the Kitsune tie to earth, she did not have to worry about getting lost or splinched as long as both she and her destination were outside.

Sure enough, when she arrived, she knew exactly where she was in relation to where she had been, even if she didn't know the name of the town she was in. Liska was currently using another Kitsune trait, almost the opposite of 'Trust Me' vibes. Anyone currently there would ignore her unless she did something to really call attention. She took the opportunity to change her cloak into something a little less conspicuous before looking around.

She was in a muggle playground. Not quite what she expected, but it would do. And fortunately, there were not many people around, so it should be quiet. There were only two children, both boys, and one adult, a woman. None of them were threats. And that was probably the most aggravating part of her job. Liska could not go anywhere at all without sizing up people as to whether or not they were potential threats and how many safe exits there were and where they were.

Shaking her head, Liska relaxed the 'Ignore Me' vibes, so that she was unlikely to be approached, but it was possible, though anything moderately strange she did would probably be ignored. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, Liska observed the children.

They were probably about five. Just the age that Plius would have been looking for. Liska felt a pang but pushed it away. She had come to calm down, not think about some wannabe dark lordling. The children were safe for now.

Two less similar children would be hard to find. One was small and skinny, with dark hair and glasses. Liska might be completely colorblind but she could still distinguish light from dark. The other boy was much larger and one of the roundest kids that Liska had ever seen, and Liska had seen baby giants. He had lighter hair, and new looking clothes. New looking enough that it seemed silly to be playing in them. The first boy seemed to be wearing much older clothes that once belonged to the larger boy. They were certainly too large for him. Another fact of her life was that Liska would get suspicious hunches that something was wrong. Sometimes it took her a long time to figure out what triggered the hunch, sometimes she never could. But she always listened. It was talking to her now.

The adult with them was a bony looking woman who bore a close resemblance to the lighter haired boy. Probably his mother. She didn't look much like the other boy, so why was the little boy wearing the bigger boy's clothes? And why wasn't the bigger boy reprimanded for pushing down the littler one? That suspicious voice was getting stronger.

That was why Liska stayed instead of leaving when she realized that she was being watched by the bony woman. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the woman staring at her with pursed lips, obviously trying to figure out what to make of her. A gossip. Wonderful. Liska switched from 'Ignore me' to 'Trust me', though still lightly.

The boys started playing ball now. Though Liska wasn't sure if they were playing catch or two person dodge ball. The bigger boy would throw the ball hard at the little boy who would either try to catch or dodge, and was then expected to toss the ball back at a more gentle speed. The other woman did nothing to prevent this. At one point when the bigger boy was throwing the ball, Liska cast a subtle spell on it, causing it to fly over the bench she was sitting on.

As it had landed so close to her, she naturally got up to help find it. The little boy got there first because he was running and she was walking. When he got the ball he looked at her startled.

"Hello." He said quietly.

"Hello. What is your name?"

"Harry."

"Hello, Harry, I'm Anna." She was interrupted before she could think of anything else to ask.

"Harry! Stop bothering the lady." The woman screeched, grabbing the boy's arm harshly. Liska's anger rose as she saw the boy wince. "Sorry, I hope he wasn't bothering you."

"No, no trouble at all. He's very polite." Liska said coolly. The other woman didn't notice the inflections, and pushed the child past to 'go play'. It did not escape Liska's notice as the child was pushed past that he smelled magical. This could prove interesting indeed.

This time both women sat on the same bench. "Are they your sons?"

"No, the blond one, Dudley, is mine, the other is my nephew." Was it her imagination, or did this woman smell hostile when referring to Harry? Liska increased the power of her 'Trust Me' vibes.

"How nice to have cousins nearby. Do you baby-sit often?"

"My sister died about four years ago, he lives with us now."

Four years ago, and the child was magical. Wasn't it four years ago that England had some problems with a dark lord? This woman wasn't magical, and no, Liska was pretty sure she wasn't imagining hostility. Under the guise of fanning herself, she cast a very subtle truth spell. "That's terrible, what happened?"

"They were freaks, his parents. And some freak killed them. The brat got lucky."

There was definitely something wrong here. "Freaks?" Liska's inquiry was ignored as Harry, tired of being pushed down four times in a row, pushed back, and was soundly reprimanded. Liska's spine stiffened as the boy winced. This would not do.

"I'm sorry dear, what was that?"

"I was wondering if you could clarify what you meant about his parents."

The woman cringed, causing Liska to increase the amount of Trustworthiness she was exuding. This was obviously something she didn't want to admit to and it was going to take a lot to make her say anything. Liska also opened up her body language to appear open and friendly as she could. Finally the woman spoke. "They could do things. Things other people can't. They went to a special school to learn it."

"I see. Do not be alarmed, please, but did they use wands to do these strange things?"

The woman looked like she wanted to run.

"Please, remain calm. I merely ask because I have heard some about this. I am no wand user myself, but I have heard of those who do." _Like my mother, and the only reason I don't is because I studied Oriental magic. But you don't want to know that. _"I have studied some about them."

"You know about them?"

"Some."

"So, perhaps you know, is the boy likely to become as big a freak as his parents?"

"I'm afraid that magic is generally a dominant trait. If both his parents were wand users, he almost certainly will be."

The woman moaned. "All we want is to be normal. We're a normal family! How are we supposed to deal with the freak?"

"I sympathize completely. What have you been doing so far?"

"The best we can to stomp out that nonsense. He sleeps in the cupboard under the stairs, does a lot of chores, I managed to get him working on cooking for the family. We punish him whenever he does something freaky. And we give him Dudley's old clothes, no need to spend money on a freak like him."

"I see." And she did. And it took a lot of energy to remain calm and friendly seeming. Though if she could pretend to admire someone willing to tear out children's hearts, she could pretend to be friendly to this woman. At least long enough to do something. "What do you mean you punish him?"

"No meals mostly. Keep him locked in the cupboard. Sometimes slap him around a little. You understand. What are we supposed to do? Normal people like us aren't prepared to deal with brats like him."

"I can see that, and quite frankly I want to know what anyone is thinking leaving him with you. Obviously, you don't have the slightest idea how to deal with a magical child." _Or a regular one for that matter_. "I have a possible idea, but I'm not sure if you would like it."

"I'm desperate; I'll listen to almost anything."

"I think that it was almost criminal to expect people like you to deal with a magical child like this. It might be best if he were in the care of someone who at least knows at least some about wand handlers. I would be willing to take him. I could send you reports as to his health and the like as frequently as you like." Liska had to stop there before she became absolutely disgusted by the look in the woman's eyes.

She was actually considering this. Some stranger was actually offering to take her nephew and she was considering it, pleasurably. "You would take legal responsibility for the boy?"

"I would insist upon it. We'd draw up a contract."

"I have to talk to Vernon."

"Your husband?"

"Yes. My word, is that the time? I have to get started on dinner. Please, come."

"I would be delighted." _Actually I'd rather eat dinner in a snake pit, but if this is what it takes, than I'll do it. Though that implies that this isn't a snake pit._ No, that wasn't quite fair. Snakes aren't that devious.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Petunia Dursley."

"Anna Andrews."

"Dudley, Harry, come! It's time to go home!" Petunia called. When the boys came up, she took the larger boy's hand, and gave Harry sharp instructions to keep up.

"Here, I'll hold your hand." Anna offered. All three of the others stared at her like she was something from another planet. However, Harry slowly, hesitantly took hold of her hand. He was so afraid; Liska could feel her heart breaking. Right now, though, all she could do was smile reassuringly and try not to hex Petunia Dursley into oblivion. Children are not naturally this afraid of people. Not even shy ones.

When they got to the house, Anna offered to help with dinner, but was politely refused. Harry, on the other hand, was dragged into the kitchen immediately. Liska's sharp ears could hear Petunia's whispered demands.

A hippopotamus of a man arrived about ten minutes later. He was naturally a bit startled to see a stranger in his living room. Most people would be.

"You must be Vernon Dursley. Your lovely wife invited me over for dinner. I think I might be able to help you with something."

"What do mean by that?" The man asked gruffly.

"Perhaps we should talk after dinner." Liska could sense Petunia Dursley come up behind her and attempt some form of non-verbal communication with her husband. While she couldn't tell exactly what was being communicated, the man did seem slightly more favorably disposed to her. At least that's what she assumed him boring her practically to tears about his job with drill meant. In between stories, he actually remembered to ask what she did for a living. Which left her in a slight quandary. Usually, especially as 'Anna Andrews' she claimed to be an independent security consultant. Well, not only would he look down on her for that, as he was obviously a man who put a large importance on a person's job, but it would also contradict with her story of being a scholar.

"I'm a researcher."

"Research what?"

"Many things. I'm sorry, I missed what you were saying about three centimeter drill bits." She hadn't, but no better way to get in good standing with a man like this was to act interested in his job, and it got her out of answering difficult questions. So Vernon Dursley didn't even get a chance to look down on her for her job before continuing to tell stories.

Dinner came eventually, much to Liska's relief. Anna was an okay persona, but it was so easily to slip and start channeling Liska while in it. And she didn't want to do that. At least not until they agreed to her plans.

Dinner just added more evidence that there was something wrong. Harry was seated as far from everyone else as possible. His Aunt nearly forgot to serve him half the time. His portions were small, and generally the less desirable parts of the food. His cousin had four times the amount of food, and always got the best portions, even though hospitality would normally dictate that the guest get that. Liska didn't particularly care what they gave her, Kitsune do not have the most developed taste buds, but she had been indoctrinated in the rules of hospitality and noticed lapses keenly.

She also noticed that Petunia cut Dudley's meat, but no one paid much attention to Harry, struggling with a tougher cut of meat. So, Anna moved over. Harry looked up in surprise. "Here, let me help."

He blinked at her. His reaction was perhaps the most mild. Liska couldn't help feeling that he was a bit afraid that she would take the food away. He did sit back though, and she cut the meat into more bite sized portions. She took the steak knife with her. Five was too young for a steak knife.

Anna moved back to her seat ignoring the round of stares she was getting.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Dudley.

"Why shouldn't I?" Anna shrugged.

"Because MMPH!" His mother covered his mouth before he could let something slip.

"Now, Dudley, just eat. You need your strength." The woman said sweetly.

_Oh yes, it takes a lot of strength to move that much bulk around._ "I must say, this is delicious, Petunia." Anna said, trying to move to a different topic of conversation. Besides, it was only polite to complement the cook.

Fortunately, this did lead to a different direction. Liska had to admit, this was one of the most strained meals she had eaten without someone who wanted to kill her. She had done that a few times too. Liska had been radiating Trust for over an hour now, which was more than usual, and slightly tiring, and she wanted away from these people. The adults obviously wanted dinner over too, Vernon, for curiosity's sake; Petunia, for obvious reasons. And the children had no idea what to make of her.

It seemed to be an eternity, but finally the dinner was over. Dudley was sent out to play, and Harry was ordered to do dishes. And the adults monopolized the living room. Dudley put up a bit of a fuss, wanting to watch television, but his mother distracted him, and convinced him to play outside.

In a few minutes, Anna explained everything that she had discussed with Petunia. Vernon, if possible, seemed even more eager to have Harry gone. But he was also a little more suspicious.

"You'll take the brat off our hands? Why? What do you get out of it?"

"A few things. First off, I get the knowledge that I've made several people happy." He snorted at that. "And I do like children. Who knows, perhaps when he's older, I'll take him on as an apprentice."

"He's not that bright." Vernon warned her.

Anna shrugged. "I would only do that if he were interested anyway. As I said, I would take legal responsibility. I'm sure you would be grieved to have your nephew elsewhere, but this would probably be best for everyone. I would send you frequent reports as to his health and the like."

"Don't bother. I want to forget I even have a nephew."

"I see. If that's what you both wish." Petunia nodded. "And you both wish to accept my offer? Very well, shall we draw up a contract?"

Drawing up the contract did not take long. Liska was not overly surprised that one clause the Dursleys insisted on was that it was Anna's responsibility to find someone to take care of Harry if anything happened to her, and it wasn't to be them. Just as well, if they hadn't suggested it, she would have. Basically, the Dursleys gave up all rights to their nephew whatsoever in exchange for being left alone. While making the contract did not take long, it did give Liska a chance to look around the room. There were lots of pictures. Most of them were of the scion of the house, with a few of the parents. Not a single one of the nephew. How did no one notice this?

Petunia had a few qualms she wanted straightened out before anyone signed however. "What do we tell the neighbors?"

Liska wanted to be ill. A complete stranger comes by and wants to take their nephew, and her biggest concern is what the neighbors would think. They didn't even know if she had given them her real name, which she hadn't. "Well, you could tell them that he's with another relative, or you could say that he needed more help than you could give him."

"That's true, the whole neighborhood thinks he's a freak, they wouldn't think much if we said he was at an institution. Now can we please sign, Petunia?"

"One more thing. This is important. When he ended up on our doorstep, there was a letter saying something about followers of the freak who killed his parents wanting to kill him, and that he'd be safe here because of his relationship to me."

"Blood wards? Interesting. Well that would complicate things a little, but I think I can manage to compensate for them. And have there been any problems so far?" So that's what she smelled when she walked in.

"Not that we know of."

"Then they are unlikely to try anything now. And I promise to keep him as safe as I possibly can."

"Doesn't matter to me if the boy dies." Vernon muttered. At least this time Petunia glared at him. Anna conveniently didn't hear him. Liska took a moment to imagine casting several very powerful hexes at him.

Finally they all signed the paper. Liska took special notice of the boy's name. Harry Potter. Where had she heard that before? "Well, that's all settled then. May I tell Harry?"

"Be my guest. Sooner that brat's gone the better." Petunia said.

Harry was just finishing up when Anna walked in. "Harry, may I talk to you?"

Harry just looked at her. She knelt down closer to his size. "I've been talking to your guardians. I know you don't know me, but how would you like to live with me instead?"

"Leave the Dursleys?"

"That's right."

His face lit with happiness and hope before darkening with doubt. Liska didn't blame him; it wasn't like he knew anything about her. Finally he said, "Alright."

"Great, let's get your things together."

She was dismayed, but not surprised to find that his 'things', not counting clothes, could fit in his hands. "Leave the clothes; I'm sure Dudley will be glad to have them back." She turned to the Dursleys. "If any of those kind come to ask questions, send them my way. Though you may want to consider moving, just in case. Come on, Harry, let's go." It was only then she remembered that she was currently staying in a hotel in London and hadn't come down in a vehicle. Oh well, she'd think of something.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, it looks like some people are reading. Thank you for all who reviewed; put me on favorites or C2 communities or alerts. One person asked why Liska has a Western name. Well, as this chapter mentions, she doesn't. This chapter includes Harry's point of view, which is a bit difficult considering he's five. Please excuse slight inconsistencies while I try to get the maturity level right. There will be some slight overlap between this chapter and the last.

Chapter 2

Harry Potter was having quite possibly the strangest day of his life. It had begun normally enough. He had woken up in the cupboard under the stairs, and been told to make breakfast. Dudley had more food than he did. Then Harry had to do chores while Dudley played. Aunt Petunia forgot to feed him lunch, which wasn't all that unusual. Later, she took both Harry and Dudley to the park. That was unusual but not that strange. But everything strange that did happen, started there.

There was another woman there. Harry liked the looks of her, if only because she didn't look anything like the Dursleys. She was small, and a bit short, sort of like him. And she was nice to him. That was a little strange. And she said to call her Anna. Not Miss or Mrs. Something. Maybe she was young enough not to care about being called Miss or Mrs. Just to be on the safe side, maybe he should call her Miss Anna.

He wasn't surprised that Aunt Petunia talked to Miss Anna, but he was surprised that she invited her over for dinner. And Miss Anna held his hand, like Aunt Petunia always did for Dudley. No one had offered to do that before. And he had never heard anyone offer to help with dinner. But Aunt Petunia said no. She did make Harry help though.

He got a little more food for dinner than usual, but that sometimes happened when there were guests. But never had a guest offered to cut his meat for him. He was worried when she came over. What if she took his food away? He was hungry. But being rude meant he'd get locked in the cupboard. If he was good, maybe he could sneak some food tonight. But she didn't take it away. She just cut the meat. But she did take the knife. Of course once the meat was cut, he didn't need the knife.

After dinner, Harry had to do the dishes. He wanted to know what the grown-ups were saying, but he couldn't hear over the water. Besides, if they even thought he was listening, he would be in big trouble. He was just finishing when Miss Anna came in and offered him his biggest dream. A chance to leave the Dursleys. He almost said yes immediately, but then he started to wonder, what if she was worse than the Dursleys? Could she be worse than the Dursleys? She had been really nice to him, nicer than the Dursleys, but even the Dursleys were nicer when there was company around. But she really seemed nice. Finally Harry decided to take the chance. What was the worst that could happen?

Miss Anna told him to get his things together. Harry gathered his special things. There really wasn't much. There was a baby blanket, a falling apart teddy bear that Dudley hadn't wanted, a few pictures he had drawn and not let the Dursleys see so they didn't throw them away, and a few clothes. Miss Anna said to leave the clothes. What would he wear? But Harry knew better to ask. Maybe, if he was really, really good, Miss Anna might get him a set of clothes that would come closer to fitting him. Better be really, really good. Then they were leaving. Miss Anna held his hand again. They were going towards the park again.

After a block, Harry started getting tired of walking, but he didn't dare say anything. After another half a block, Miss Anna turned to him and asked him if he was getting tired. He was afraid to say yes, but he was even more afraid to say no. Finally he nodded.

Miss Anna came closer. Harry flinched, but instead of pulling his hair, or slapping him and telling him to wake up, she picked him up and started carrying him. Aunt Petunia didn't even do that for Dudley anymore. Privately, Harry thought that was because Dudley was too heavy to carry.

They got to the park, and Miss Anna asked him if he wanted to see something neat. Dudley said that sometimes, and it was never anything good. But he could get away from Dudley, he couldn't get away from Miss Anna, and she wanted a yes answer. So that's what he said, even if he was nervous. He grew even more afraid when she said that he couldn't tell anyone. That usually meant Harry would get hurt.

But Miss Anna didn't hurt him. What she did was point out a soda can in the road, then have Harry help her look to make sure no one was watching. Then, she pointed her fan at it and said something Harry didn't understand. For a second, nothing happened. Then the can started to grow and change in shape. After about ten seconds, there was a car sitting where the can had been. It was the same blue that the can had been, and the inside was red like the stripe on the can. Miss Anna put him down so he could take a look.

"Is it real?" popped out before he could stop it.

"Yes and no. That will last long enough to get us to London, but the way it is now, it will turn back to a can in six hours. I could make it permanent, though. I promise I'll tell you about how I did that later, but for now, don't say anything about it to anyone else, okay?"

"Okay. What's permanent?"

"That means it will stay a car forever. More or less."

"You can do that? Then why don't you?"

"It takes more energy. Do you like it?"

Harry nodded. It wasn't as big or new looking as the cars Uncle Vernon insisted upon, but it looked like the other cars on the street. Besides, even Uncle Vernon didn't have a car that used to be a soda can. And Harry thought he liked it better than the type of cars Uncle Vernon always got.

"Well, we'll see. If I'm not too tired when we get to London, maybe I'll make it permanent. If not, I'll make another sometime. I'd let you sit in the front, but that's not safe at your age. Do you need a car seat?"

"You mean I would have to stand?" Harry didn't like the sound of that.

"No, I mean a special seat for children. I guess you don't. Okay. Hop in." She opened the door for him, and fastened his seat belt. Harry thought it was interesting that it didn't smell like soda inside.

Then Miss Anna got in, and started to drive, taking Harry far away from the Dursleys and Privet Drive.

Harry fell asleep on the way to London, so he didn't know exactly how long the ride was. When Miss Anna woke him up, they were in the biggest parking lot Harry had ever seen.

"So Harry, what do you think? Should we keep this car?"

Harry nodded eagerly. Miss Anna pointed her fan at it. For a second, he was afraid that she would turn it back to a can, but only for a second. He was beginning to think she wasn't that mean.

Then Miss Anna led him to the biggest building Harry had ever seen. "Wow, is that your house?"

Miss Anna laughed. It was a nice laugh, like people laughing at a joke, not like Dudley laughing at him. "This isn't a house, it's a hotel. Do you know what a hotel is?"

Harry shook his head.

"A hotel is a building with lots and lots of rooms. People pay money to stay at a room for a few days when they are far from home."

"Do they have cupboards?"

Miss Anna blinked at that. "They might have some, why? Oh! No, not like that. Harry, this is important, look at me." She knelt down again so she could look him in the eye. "Harry, you do not have to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. Never again. I promise. The Dursleys never should have done that in the first place. Do you understand?"

Never again? Could she really mean that? Only time would tell. He would see. In the mean time, Harry nodded. Miss Anna didn't look quite happy, but she led Harry inside anyway. They entered the grandest, biggest, most beautiful room Harry had ever seen. He didn't even know the words to describe everything. There was a fountain with real fish in it. Miss Anna said they were Koi. She even gave him a penny to toss in. Aunt Petunia would do that for Dudley but never for Harry.

He was also fascinated by the floor tiles. Miss Anna said it was marble. Harry thought marble was those round glass toys. Strange. And there were lights hanging down from the ceiling that had lots of little colorless balls that sparkled in the light. Then they went in an elevator. Harry had only been in an elevator once or twice before.

Miss Anna pressed a button and the elevator went up and up. For awhile, Harry wasn't sure it would stop. Then it did. There was no marble here; it was a really thick carpet. Harry couldn't resist touching it when Miss Anna wasn't looking. It was really soft. When he started to straighten up, he saw Miss Anna looking at him. She smiled. Then she opened a door. "This is it."

It wasn't a very big room, not like the 'lobby', though it was a little bigger than Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's room at Privet Drive. There was only one bed but there was no cupboard under the stairs. Of course there were no stairs either. There was a sofa, and a television. And a really big window that Harry could see what felt like all of London out of. And there was a bathroom to one side. There was also a table with some glasses on it. Miss Anna had a suitcase or two already here.

"Are you still tired?" Miss Anna asked him.

Harry almost said no, then realized that he really was still tired. He was just excited, and that made him not feel so tired for awhile. So Harry said yes.

"Do you want the bed or the couch?" Miss Anna asked.

She was offering the bed? It had to be a trick. Besides the couch looked more comfortable than the cot in the cupboard. "The couch."

"Okay, here, I need you to move over there." Miss Anna said while removing the cushions. Why was she doing that? Then she pulled something out. Harry watched in surprise as Miss Anna pulled a bed from the couch. How did she do that? She didn't even use her fan. A few minutes later, the bed was made, and Harry was tucked in, holding his bear. "Goodnight Harry, sleep well."

"Goodnight." Harry was so happy he wasn't sure he could sleep. But he was asleep before he knew it.

Liska waited until she heard the boy's breathing change to sleep patterns, before putting every single warding spell she could think of on the room, especially the door. And just to be on the safe side, she put up a few pre-made paper wards. She wasn't good at making those herself, but she could finish powering one someone else made. When she was done, there was no way anyone would find them that night. Which was good because she was too tired to deal with anyone tonight. She had used a lot of magic today. Finished with that, she began rooting through her suitcase until she found what she was looking for, a small clear glass ball about the size of her palm. Then she took it into the bathroom so that she wouldn't wake him up.

Once there, and the door shut, she put one hand on the top of the sphere and said clearly, "Kira."

A few minutes later, another face appeared, one which any observers might have remarked looked very similar to Liska's.

"Sakaki! How did it go? Was it really that vampire ritual?"

"What? Oh, yes, that. Yes, he was trying for a Black Night Ascension. I stopped him. Sorry, I forgot for a moment."

"You forgot? How could you forget?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. I need some information first. Harry Potter. British magical, about five years old, parents died four years ago."

"Harry Potter? That sounds familiar, one minute let me check." Kira's face disappeared then, and Sakaki could hear her flipping through pages. Then there was some typing. A few more pages. "Found it. Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived. Remember? What do you need to know?"

"He's the one who defeated Voldemort? Please tell me you're kidding."

"No, why?"

She explained.

"You adopted the boy who lived?"

"Apparently."

"You really got in over your head this time didn't you?"

"Probably."

"What are you going to do now?"

"The best I can. Provided I can get Father to agree that is."

"You couldn't have ignored it. So bring him here, he'll be safe enough."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. That's a new country, a new language, new people, remember he doesn't really know me yet, and then he'd have to deal with Kitsune prejudice. I had enough trouble as a half blood. How do you think they'd take a human?"

"You can't stay away forever!" Kira gasped in horror at the thought.

"No, but I need to build up some stability for him first. I want him to have some confidence in himself and me before he has to run their gauntlet."

"I suppose that makes sense. So where will you stay?"

"I don't think I have any bolt holes in England that will meet my current needs. I think I should try to acquire a small house in the country. Somewhere fairly isolated, at least until I've taught him some basic self-defense and discretion."

"See if your mother owns property like that. You never know, she might."

"Worth a shot. Now I just have to convince Father."

"Best of luck."

"Thanks, I may need it. I should do that now. I just needed a more sympathetic audience first."

"Well, if it works, I'll come to visit sometime. If not, I'll see you soon here."

"Right, see you" Liska, Sakaki to her family when she wasn't working, tapped the sphere once, causing it to go dark, then clear. Then she repeated her earlier act, saying her father's name instead of her cousin's.

"Ah, Liska, report?"

"All successful sir."

"Good. Anything else to report?"

"I'm afraid so, sir." Then she started telling the story again. When she was done, she couldn't read her father's expression. And she couldn't smell him through this form of communication.

"I see. This complicates matters."

Liska bit her tongue to keep from getting defensive. He continued. "I realize that you could not ignore it any more than you can swim in silver, but taking any child would complicate matters. Taking Harry Potter of all people… Well, I think you better come back home with him before anyone figures out you have him."

"Actually, I was thinking that might not be the best idea. Too much instability and too many changes all at once, especially for a child his age." She didn't mention Kitsune bias, but Father probably still knew that was a factor.

"I see. So what do you plan to do?"

She outlined the plan that she had mentioned to Kira. "And I would want to borrow Koto after I find it. When she's done warding a place, it's almost invisible."

"That is a possibility. Wait one minute; let me talk to your mother." His face disappeared from view. A few minutes later, he returned. "She says that she might be able to help. Do you have your mother's vault key? Go to Gringotts and tell them you are the daughter of Ann Prewitt. She thinks there might be a piece of property under that legacy. Find out if that will suit your purposes. There won't be much, but if it will work, she says you can have it."

"Tell her thank you."

They continued making plans for the next twenty minutes or so.

"So, who will be my biggest opponent in this? The minister of magic?"

"The man is a fool. He would probably oppose you, if he could find you. You could handle twenty of him at your worst. No, the man to be wary of is Albus Dumbledore."

"The headmaster of Hogwarts?"

"That's the one. He is not a bad man, but he is unlikely to react favorably to your 'interference'."

"I'll be careful."

"You had better be. You will have to talk to him at some point. I would suggest waiting until you are warded enough he can't take the boy from you."

"Yes. There is one more thing. I would like to institute a Level one War of Revenge against the Dursleys."

"Level One? Low to mid-level mischief, no one gets hurt, they never find out why all these strange and annoying things keep happening?"

"Yes, they do have a son of their own after all."

"True. So what did you do?"

"I had to be subtle, but I did cast a permanent truth charm on the three of them." They would be able to refuse to answer a question, possibly even mislead, but they could not lie at all.

Father nodded. "Koto will probably be willing to do her infamous 'Salesmen, stop here' and dilapidation wards. I'll spread the word; anyone who happens to be in the area will be suggested to take a minute to do something."

"They may end up moving. I suggested it to get away from magical types asking questions."

"Don't worry; we'll keep track of them. At least until we get bored."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. It is getting late in England. You should sleep. You look tired."

"Yes sir. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Liska ended the call. Then she put the ball back in her suitcase before all but collapsing on the bed. Tired was an understatement. She had done a lot of magic that day, and it was almost first quarter moon. Something else she would have to tell Harry. What fun. At least at his age, he was likely to be adaptable instead of scared. And then she was asleep.

Harry woke slowly and reluctantly the next morning. He had been having a wonderful dream about a nice woman who turned a soda can into a car and drove him far away from the Dursleys. He didn't want to wake up and find himself back in the cupboard. Light was shining in his eyes. He rolled over so it wouldn't. Slowly, he started to wake up enough to wonder where the light came from. There shouldn't be light like that in the cupboard. And the cot sounded different. Usually is squeaked a lot. This was much quieter. And the blankets were softer. Finally, Harry dared crack open an eye. Without his glasses, he couldn't see much, but he could see beige wallpaper. The cupboard under the stairs didn't have wallpaper.

Harry sat up and started fumbling for his glasses. They were on the armrest. He was on a couch bed in a hotel. Miss Anna was there in the bed. She was still asleep. It wasn't a dream at all!

Of course, once he discovered this, he realized he also had to go to the bathroom. If he got up now, he'd probably wake Miss Anna. Then he would be in trouble. But if he didn't get up… Well, that would probably be more trouble.

So, as quietly as he could, Harry climbed off the sofa, and crept to the bathroom. He wasn't even halfway there when Miss Anna moaned, rolled over, and looked at him. Harry froze.

"What time is it?" Miss Anna muttered, before fumbling for a clock. "Oh, time to wake up. Good morning, Harry."

"Good morning, Miss Anna."

"Miss Anna?" She raised an eyebrow.

Oh dear. She didn't like that. "Is that alright?"

"For now. Why don't you take the bathroom first, while I try to finish waking up?"

Harry nodded. Miss Anna was really nice. She hadn't even yelled at him for waking her up. Better not take long in the bathroom. Harry tried to be quick, but Miss Anna was still waiting by the time he was done. She was holding some clothes. When she came out, she was wearing the clothes that she had been carrying. That made Harry cast a glance at his own clothes. Miss Anna noticed.

"I plan on taking you clothes shopping first thing after breakfast, can you put up with those until then?"

Harry nodded, but then nearly tripped on the edge of his pants.

"Well, I suppose I can at least do something. Hold still." She pointed her fan at him.

Harry closed his eyes wondering what she was going to do.

"Harry?"

He opened his eyes to see Miss Anna kneeling in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I know the Dursleys did, but they shouldn't have. If anyone hurts you I want you to tell me. All I am going to do is shrink the clothes so they fit you. Are you alright with that? If not, that's okay, I can do something else. I just want the clothes on you so I know when they are the right size. Okay?"

Harry nodded. This time he kept his eyes open. He was able to watch the clothes shrink until they were his size. They were still ugly and stained, but at least now they weren't four times his size.

"Alright, that's done. What do you say we find some breakfast?"

Harry nodded vigorously.

"Good. The hotel serves breakfast, but I wasn't all that impressed. What do you say we try and find a diner?"

"What's a diner?"

"It's a type of restaurant. They usually have pretty good breakfasts."

Harry had never been to a restaurant before. It sounded exciting. Miss Anna asked for directions to a good diner and the nearest mall at the front desk. Once she had them, the two set out.

The diner was neat, Harry thought. He liked the sparkly look of everything. They sat in a booth. Harry decided he liked booths. A woman with blonde hair came over and introduced herself as their wait-something. She gave Miss Anna and Harry some papers. Harry's was more colorful than Miss Anna's. He hoped she wouldn't mind.

Then the wait-something wanted to know what they wanted to drink. Both adults looked at Harry then. Harry blinked confused.

"What do you want to drink, Harry?"

"Water?" That was all Aunt Petunia would usually have.

"Do you like milk? Or any juices?" Miss Anna asked.

"Isn't that expen… exsen….?" Harry stumbled over the word. He wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but Uncle Vernon used it every time he had to spend money on Harry, and Harry thought it was a bad thing.

"Expensive? No, Harry, it isn't. Don't worry about it. So, milk? Juice?"

"Milk, please."

"Alright, milk for him, and do you have green tea? No? Pity. Alright, regular tea for me and some water no ice."

Then the wait-something left.

"Harry? Can you read?"

Harry shook his head, slightly embarrassed.

"That's not a problem. I had a lot of trouble reading at your age, and older. Why don't you let me see your menu? I'll read you the choices and you can pick one."

Harry picked pancakes, it sounded the most familiar. Besides, he remembered that after eating pancakes, he didn't get hungry too quickly. The wait-something came soon and gave them their drinks, and asked what they wanted to eat. Miss Anna ordered steak and eggs for herself, and pancakes for Harry. After that, the wait-something took Miss Anna's menu, but left Harry's, and gave him some crayons to color a picture on it.

Once the other woman left, Miss Anna said. "Now might be a good time to answer some of your questions. I'm sure you have lots. So, what do you want to know?"

"You said a hotel was for people who don't live nearby, right?"

"Right."

"So where do you live?"

"That is a very good question, with a bit of a difficult answer." Then Miss Anna started to explain about how they were currently in a country called England, and far, far away was a country called Japan, where her family was.

"So I'm going to Japan?"

"Not yet. Maybe when you're a bit older. Japan is far away and they speak a different language and everything. No, I think we'll stay in England for awhile."

"In the hotel?"

"No, we can't stay there for that long. I think we'll find a house. A nice house, with no cupboards under the stairs, where you can have your own room. Maybe out in the country. That won't be like Privet drive or like London. There would be lots of animals, not a whole lot of people. What do you think of that?"

"I like animals."

"I'll keep that in mind." Their food came then, and they spent time eating, not talking for a while.

"How long does it take to get a house?"

"It depends. Sometimes, it doesn't take long at all; some times it takes a long time. But we can stay at the hotel until we move in to the house."

"Oh, okay." Harry liked the hotel. There were no Dursleys there.

Soon Harry was feeling full, but Aunt Petunia always yelled at him for wasting food. So Harry kept eating, with increasing slowness.

"Are you full, Harry?" Miss Anna asked.

Harry shook his head, then nodded slowly.

"Okay, two things, it's alright to be full. Second, this is really important, do not lie to me Harry. I will know, and no matter how bad the truth may be, I will be more upset if you lie. I'm not mad this time. I'm just warning you." Miss Anna said seriously, before making some hand movement that brought the wait-something over. "Can we have a couple to-go boxes?" Turning back to Harry, she said, "We'll just take the rest with us. We can eat it later." Harry felt better that she hadn't eaten all of her food either.

They were given two Styrofoam boxes. Miss Ann helped Harry put the rest of his food in one before putting hers in the other. Then they took it back to the hotel, and put it in a small refrigerator.

Harry wondered what was going to happen now. There were no chores to do.

"Okay, time to go shopping." Miss Anna said.

They got to ride in the soda car (as Harry privately called it) again. Now they ended up in a parking lot even bigger than the hotel one. The building in front of the parking lot wasn't as tall as the hotel, but it was a lot wider.

"Harry, this is really important. The mall is a very big place and there are a lot of people. I want you to hold my hand at all times, unless I say otherwise, okay? I don't want you getting lost."

"Okay, Miss Anna." Harry took her hand, feeling a bit more confident. The mall was huge! There were people everywhere! If he hadn't been holding Miss Anna's hand, he might have gotten really lost. There wasn't any marble here, but there were a few fountains. No fish this time. Miss Anna gave him another penny to toss in for a wish. Harry wished that he could stay with Miss Anna forever, and that she would always be so nice. He hoped that wasn't too big a wish for a penny.

The first store they went into had children's clothes. Miss Anna let him pick out whatever he wanted. Harry tried to be good and only pick out a few, but Miss Anna kept suggesting more and more. When Harry said it was too much, Miss Anna only laughed, and said the more clothes he had, the less often she had to do laundry.

Then, after Harry picked out what seemed like a mountain of clothes, Miss Anna went after what she called 'necessities' like socks, underwear, and a new pair of shoes. Harry was allowed to pick these too, and got Spiderman shoes. Harry had sometimes caught a glimpse of Spiderman cartoons while Dudley was watching. Uncle Vernon would yell at him if he saw him though. But Harry liked Spiderman anyway. Miss Anna let him get Spiderman pajamas too. Then they went into another store, and got a toothbrush, hair brush, shampoo, a bath towel that would be just Harry's, bath soap, and something called 'Bubble bath'. Harry knew Dudley had bubble bath, but he didn't know what it was.

Miss Anna was carrying so many bags that Harry had to hold her belt instead of her hand. They started to walk back to the car. Harry thought that was everything. It was certainly more than he had before, but after putting the bags in the car, Miss Anna led Harry back to the mall.

"Miss Anna?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Don't we have everything? You bought so much already."

"What do you plan on doing all day?"

"Cleaning?"

Miss Anna looked really sad for a moment. "Harry, you're what, five? You don't have to spend your days cleaning. You should have toys, and books, and things like that."

"Like Dudley?"

"A little like that, but I hope you don't end up like Dudley."

"Me too."

Next they went to a bookstore. Harry liked books, even if he didn't know how to read yet. He still would look through Dudley's sometimes. Miss Anna picked out a few, what she called 'easy readers' and told Harry to pick out some books he liked, she wanted to take a look in a different section.

Harry looked in the children's section. The first thing he noticed was a shelf of stuffed foxes. Harry picked one up. It was really soft. Then Harry saw a book that caught his eye. He pulled it out of the shelf and started looking at the pictures. They were amazing.

"Did you find anything?" Miss Anna asked; a few other books in the basket.

Harry jumped a little. Then he held up the book. "Pictures!"

"Yes, pictures." Miss Anna looked at the book. "You like fairy tales?"

Harry nodded.

"Me too. Okay, let's get this one and a few more." Miss Anna picked out some more books. Then she looked at the fox that Harry was starting to put back. "You made a friend?"

"It's soft."

She pet it. "Yes, it is. Okay, you can get it. If you want, you can carry it until we get to the cash register."

They went to pay for everything then. Harry nearly cried when the fox went into a bag, but managed not to. Miss Anna scooped the fox out and handed it to him. Then they went into a store that had more toys than Harry had ever seen. Even Dudley didn't have this many.

"Okay, you can pick out two items."

Harry was puzzled by this. "But the fox and book?"

"Two items from this store. I'll be over here. And Harry, don't worry about the price." Miss Anna started looking at some card games and board games.

Harry picked up a Spiderman action figure and a Lego castle complete with knights and dragon. He was afraid that might be more than Miss Anna had in mind, but she hadn't gotten mad yet.

When he got there, Miss Anna had some other games in the basket. She looked at what Harry picked out. "That's what you want? Okay. Let's go pay for everything."

After the toy store, they stopped in the pet shop, but only after Miss Anna said very firmly that they were **not** getting a pet. She let him pet the puppies and the kittens, but she didn't.

Then they had lunch in the food court. Harry thought that was a lot of fun. Miss Anna was trying to write something on a napkin. "Okay, we've got clothes, toiletries, toys, and books. Am I forgetting anything?" Finally she shrugged. "If I am, we'll get it later." She wasn't talking to Harry, so he didn't say anything.

After lunch, they went back to the hotel and took all the bags up to the room. After everything was in the room, Miss Anna waved her fan at the door and said something. Then she turned to Harry, and looked at him very seriously. "Okay Harry, I need to tell you something and it's very important."

Next chapter: Harry finds out about magic


	3. Chapter 3

Again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I apologize that this took so long to come out. Real life and internet connection problems reared their ugly heads. I hope the next one will come out sooner, especially since it's already written. To the reviewer who said I should change the title, I'm sorry you don't like it but it was hard enough coming up with that one. Unless I come up with or some ones suggests a title so perfect that it is worth risking reader confusion, the title stays. Sorry.

Chapter three.

Liska pondered looking at Harry, wondering how much she could and could not explain. She had to tell him about magic, and she had to make sure that he wouldn't tell anyone about it. That's why she had wanted to wait until they had a house. If he wasn't going to run into people, he couldn't say things he wasn't supposed to. But she had to go to Gringotts and there was no way that she could just leave him while she went to Diagon Alley. She was also going to have to teach him some precautions about being out among other people. If this really was the boy who somehow defeated Voldemort, than the magical world was not going to ignore her taking him from his relatives. That meant teaching him a level of paranoia and suspicion. Liska felt a pang of sadness as she realized that even if he was a perfectly normal child, by being raised by her, he would probably end up just as suspicious and paranoid as she was. On the other hand, if it would keep him alive, she wouldn't grieve too much.

"Harry, what do you know about magic?"

"It's not real, and Uncle Vernon yells at me when I talk about it."

As if she needed another reason to hex the Dursleys. "Well, that's what I want to talk to you about. You see, magic is real. Some people can do it, most people can't. I can. Remember how I made that can into a car?" Harry's eyes darted to her fan. "That's right; I use my fan to do magic. The Dursleys don't like magic because they can't do it. But someday, you will be able to." Harry's eyes lit up. "Someday. Not now. Now, this is important. People who can't do magic, aren't supposed to know it exists. That is very, very important. You can't tell anyone about magic, unless they can do it too. And it will probably be awhile before you learn how to tell. So, no talking about it except where you know it is safe. Okay? I'm trusting you. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded.

"Okay, in your own words, what did I say?"

"Magic is real. When I'm older, I can use it too. Don't tell anyone who isn't safe."

"And how do you know who's safe?"

"Ask you?"

"That will work. There's more. For certain reasons that even I don't understand, you are important to magical people, and they might be very mad that I took you from the Dursleys. If they knew where you were, some might try to take you back to them." Harry gasped in horror. "I won't let them, but it will be easier if you co-operate with me. Okay, look at my hand." She rubbed her thumb against the tips of her other fingers quickly. "When I do that, it means no talking, okay? There might be times where it is safer if you don't talk at all. If I do that, it's for a good reason. When I do this," she touched her thumb to the front of her first two fingers, "it means no names. Do not give your own name, and do not use mine. And do not be surprised if I use different names for one or both of us. Okay?"

Harry nodded.

"Okay, what does this mean?" She rubbed her thumb across the tips of her fingers.

"No talking."

"Good! And this?" She touched the front of her first two fingers.

"No names."

"Wonderful! Okay, the reason I am telling you all this now is because I have to go to some place with magic. I need to take you with me. The whole time we are there, no names, okay? I also may claim you are someone else, like my son or nephew. Do you understand?"

"To keep me from going back to the Dursleys?"

"That's right. I suggest you don't talk too much while we are there, but later, I'll try to answer your questions, okay?"

Harry nodded. He smelled excited.

"Ready to go? Or do you want a nap?"

"Want to see magic."

"Okay, let's go."

She did stop and buy him a baseball cap before getting to the Alley. It would at least cover the hair and scar. And she had the advantage that no one expected him to be there with her. Before getting to the Leaky Cauldron, she whispered to him, "What's the rule?"

"No names."

"And the suggestion?"

"Little talking?"

"Right. You'll do fine." He did stare a lot once they got to the tavern, and even more once they were in the alley, but that wasn't entirely unexpected in a child his age, even one magically raised.

First stop, Gringotts. She needed to find out how much wizarding currency she had, well, British wizarding currency, and if there was any property in her mother's legacy. After that, she'd have time to think about what else she might need. Like maybe some robes for Harry, and she should get him a magical toy or two as well.

Buying things for Harry was strange. He needed so much, and Liska's maternal instincts were going into overdrive making her want to buy him a lot; but at the same time, the last thing she wanted was to spoil the boy like his relatives obviously did to his cousin. And getting him a lot of things at once was a good way to do that. So the best she could do was get him the necessities and a few fun things now, and wait for birthdays and other special occasions for more. He was British, they celebrated Christmas. Liska never had, but that didn't mean she couldn't.

Gringotts was not all that busy at this time of day, so Liska was able to talk to someone fairly quickly. Harry had a death grip on her hand, and when she turned back to smile reassuringly at him, his eyes were almost as big as a house elf's. Liska turned back to the cashier and greeted him politely in Gobbledygook. The two best ways to get polite service from a goblin are to speak their native language and/or have a lot of money. Liska's Gobbledygook was far from perfect, but she knew the formalities, and could hold a polite, if limited, conversation in it. Besides, it was so much fun watching them go into shock at a 'human' speaking their language.

"May your days and your gold never run few. If it would not be too difficult, may I request an audience with a supervisor who could go over my family legacy with me? I would be willing to pay more for the best service." Liska said this in her best Gobbledygook, which was slightly, but not much, better than the typical human could manage. Harry reeked of surprise. He wasn't the only one.

"May your wealth ever increase. If you will wait a minute, I shall find someone." He answered back in the same language, making Liska grateful that she could understand better than she could speak. Some of the sounds simply were not within human vocal ability. However, hers was slightly broader, as she could speak several human languages, and fox.

They ended up being escorted to a private room and speaking to Director Gnarish. Liska gave him the formal greeting for one of his station, then apologized that her clumsy tongue was unable to complete the entire transaction in his language. Could he kindly forgive her coarseness to use English? It was almost Oriental, the extreme politeness, and self-abasement almost built into the formalities. So Liska was fairly comfortable with it.

"The fact you attempt our language at all bears you credit." The director said, once the formalities had been observed. "What questions did you have?"

"Thank you, Director. I am Sakaki, the only child of Ann Prewitt. She is no longer in this country, and as I am of age and she is not using it, she wishes me to have access to her family legacy. Unfortunately, she is not clear on what that is."

"Do you have her vault key?"

"I do." She pulled it out and handed it to the goblin. He took it and dipped it in a potion before touching it to a parchment. Soon writing appeared. It was in English instead of Gobbledygook.

"I see. As holder of this key, you have access to vault 1124, which contains approximately fifteen thousand galleons. These galleons are currently invested in a high-yield interest fund, details will be provided. Also involved in this legacy is a cottage not far from the Scottish border. This cottage is not currently inhabited, nor has it been for several years. Again, details will be provided. An exact balance of the vault and details about this cottage are being prepared now. If you wish to rent out this property, Gringotts can assist you in this endeavor. Do you have any other questions?"

"Yes, does Gringotts do money exchanges?"

"Between wizarding and muggle? We do, with a generous rate."

"Actually, I was wondering if you do exchanges between American or Japanese wizarding currencies to galleons."

"That is an unusual request, but yes, we do. Would you like a self-updating exchange rate guide?"

"I would, thank you."

"Very well, it will be in your information packet. Are there any other questions?"

"Yes, if I were to open my own vault, what would the cost be?"

"That would depend on the size and security you wished for. A standard Gringotts brochure will be included in the information packet."

"Very well, I think that is everything. What do I owe you for your time?"

"Six galleons. This could be paid directly, or deducted from your vault."

Liska did some quick mental calculations. She should have approximately twelve galleons on her. And she did plan to stop by the vault anyway. "I shall pay now. And I wish a visit to the vault." She handed over the money.

"Of course, one of our employees will be over momentarily with your papers and shall escort you to your vault."

Liska looked at Harry for a moment, wondering if he could handle the ride. It could be a bit rough. Director Gnarish noticed her look. "The child can wait here while transact business."

"May you generosity be rewarded tenfold." She turned to Harry. "I'll be back very soon, just stay here and wait for me, okay?" Just to be on the safe side, Liska very subtly cast a tracking charm on him. On the off chance he left the room for any reason, she'd know where he was. Harry nodded, looking worried.

"Griphook will escort you, if you are ready."

"I am ready. Director, may your days be long and your gold never-ending."

"May your gold match your wisdom."

Leaving the director, she gave Griphook the proper greetings for his station, or at least, what she assumed his station to be. He was assigned to take patrons to vaults, which was a high trust position, but he did not have a title. So Liska used the highest form that was not for a title. And if it was a little higher than his station, well, it probably wouldn't hurt. Politeness never hurt.

She left the information packet with Harry. The last thing she needed was to drop a paper while in the carts. The ride gave her time to think about how much she wanted to withdraw. Liska hadn't done much magical shopping, so she didn't know what prices were like. Finally she decided on two hundred galleons. If she needed more, she could always come back. Or ask if they had anything like a credit card.

Fortunately, getting what she needed didn't take long. Which was good, because Liska was anxious to get back to Harry. It wasn't that she didn't trust Director Gnarish, at least as well as she trusted most people who smelled friendly-ish. It was just that Liska didn't trust hardly anyone. Besides, the longer she was gone, the more chance of something going wrong.

Luckily, nothing appeared to have gone wrong in the few minutes she was gone. Harry was still sitting in the room, looking like he hadn't moved much.

"You have an exceptionally well-behaved child, Miss Sakaki." The director said. Considering goblins prided themselves on child behavior, that was quite a complement. He also called her 'Miss'. That was a sign of respect. Usually goblins didn't use titles unless they felt the recipient deserved them. He probably would have used her last name if he knew what it was.

"I thank you for your words." Liska replied in Gobbledygook, before beckoning Harry over, and trying to teach him the same. He mangled the phrase horribly, and Liska had to work hard not to laugh and show her teeth, a major insult to goblins. Director Gnarish seemed pleased by the effort though.

"Should you ever need assistance in the future, do request me. I will put you on my list of preferred customers."

Odd, usually accounts had to be quite a bit larger to end up on a list of preferred customers for even the lowest ranking employees. She must have really impressed him.

"I thank you kindly, and shall remember your wisdom and generosity. May you have more riches than the stars in the sky." Liska followed that up with an arm clasping motion that was the goblin equivalent of a bow. He did the same. That was seldom done to a female.

The first thing Liska wanted to do was see the house, but that wasn't practical. They were in Diagon Alley, and apparating both of them there and back would be very tiring. Besides, if this was right, she might be able to floo there. Liska wasn't fond of floo travel, but she could do it. But Harry might not like that. That and there would have to be a fire on the other side. There wouldn't be a fire. Hmm, maybe the knight bus. Her mother had told her stories, but she had never ridden it. Harry would probably like that.

But first, he wanted to see the alley. That was obvious. And she could use a new cloak. And it couldn't hurt to look around at some other places.

They ended up going to Madam Malkin's first. Harry got three day robes, just so he'd be comfortable wearing them. Liska got a cloak, and a cape. Madam Malkin told her that hers were midnight blue. She'd have to take her word for it. She had no idea what color Harry's were, but it didn't really matter. Her mother had told her that a lot of the wizarding world didn't always seem to care much about colors and whether or not they coordinated well.

Magical or Muggle, Liska couldn't resist a bookstore. She picked up a few simple magic books for Harry, one book on beginning potion making for the both of them, and a few other books that caught her interest.

While eating ice cream, Liska pondered her choices. It still kept catching her by surprise, but by offering to take Harry from the Dursleys, she had taken responsibility for the boy. Now she had to raise him. She wanted him to be as adaptable as possible. So she needed to teach him a combination of muggle and magical ways. That was one thing her skulk always excelled at. Finding the preferred way of dealing with something, be it magical or non-magical, national or foreign. Besides, she had always believed adaptability to be a highly desirable trait. Now, the question was how would she do that?

She had already gotten him magical and muggle clothes. She would let him pick which he preferred; though suggest that he not entirely neglect the other. She could teach him to write both on paper and parchment, with pencil, pen, and quill. To some extent, she would have to see what he liked. Harry certainly seemed to have a fascination with magic, but that could be novelty value. And even if it wasn't, Liska didn't want him ending up like one of those wizards who had absolutely no idea of the muggle world and wouldn't recognize a telephone from a television. Yes, he knew some already, but he was five, he could easily forget.

And speaking of magic, would he learn western or eastern magic? While it was possible to get a basis in both, one could only really excel in one. For example, Liska understood about western magic, and could probably cast a fair number of western spells if she got a wand. Provided they could find a wand to suit her. But she had studied a specialized form of Oriental magic, and would always do that best. Of course she studied the specialized form because she had difficulty with the normal form of Japanese magic, mostly involving hand gestures, long phrases, and paper wards. That was why she carried the fan. Back to the topic. Probably, like her, he would be invited both to Hogwarts and Kinamaya School of magic. He could make up his mind then. Until then, she'd teach him what she could of both ways. Even just understanding the other form gave a wealth of advantages, even if one couldn't use it.

Hmm, Liska seemed to recall that British wizards often used owls for post. She had used cranes back home, but cranes weren't local to the area. Perhaps, once she had a place set up, she should get an owl. It wasn't like she had Hikari with her. And Hikari wasn't hers; it was just a family crane. One who liked her. But there was no way she was buying an owl and taking it back to a muggle hotel.

She was drawn from her thoughts by the realization that she was being watched. Almost unconsciously, one hand started to reach for the opposite sleeve, while the other traveled to the base of her fan. Her eyes traveled to find the watcher. She relaxed, feeling slightly sheepish when she realized that it was merely Harry, finished with his ice cream.

"Ready to go?"

Harry nodded. He was really taking this not talking thing seriously. Liska didn't think he had said a single word since they entered the alley. Then again, he was a pretty quiet child.

They looked in a few more stores, mostly so Liska could get an eye on what prices were like. And they did stop at a magical toy store. Liska said he could pick out two items here. Later she would have to explain that she wasn't going to buy him something every time they went in a store, but for now, he seemed more expecting disappointment than good things. Besides, he would need things to keep him occupied.

Harry picked out a dragon that flew all around the room, and a toy wand that temporarily changed whatever it touched to another color. Liska took a moment to be grateful that all the toys he picked out so far were quiet. She wasn't sure how well she would deal with noisy toys.

Finally it was time to leave the alley. Harry was disappointed, even if he didn't say anything. Liska checked her watch. Five o'clock. They had eaten a late lunch, and had ice cream later. Harry didn't seem hungry.

"Harry? Remember when I went to the bank?"

"With the goblins?"

"Yes. Well, there, they told me that my family owns a cottage. No one lives there now. We can take a look and see if it's a good place for us. Do you want to do that now?"

"Yeah!"

Liska carefully hid the wince. Getting him less afraid of her was a good thing, having sharp ears was a good thing, but sometimes the combination was not. However, her ears could manage for awhile until he was a little more secure.

"Okay, we'll do that." According to her mother, to call the knight bus, one just had to wave their wand in the air. Liska hoped her fan would work the same. Apparently it did, as a moment later there was a loud crack and a three story bus was there. Liska tapped Harry on the shoulder, and flashed him the 'no names' sign again. Harry looked for a moment like he was trying to remember which one that was, but nodded anyway.

The driver started to go on his spiel. Liska stopped him. "One adult, one child for Coron Way." It was a small town with a decent sized magical population. And if she was reading the papers right, it was only about a half kilometer from the cottage. That might be a little far for Harry to walk, but she could apparate him that far without difficulty. Also according to the papers, there was regular transportation to and from Hogsmede. That would be useful.

She paid the man, and took a seat. Harry stared excitedly at everything, and clutched at her every time there was a strong jolt, which was pretty often. They still got there much faster than her car would have taken them. Still, neither Harry nor Liska were quite sure what they thought of the knight bus by the time they finished.

Liska wanted to view the town first, as they were already there. If Harry got tired, she could always carry him. He was almost painfully light. The town wasn't that big. The magical section had the usual necessary stores for a town in addition to a specialist potions store, a magical pet store, and a wand maker's store.

The town itself didn't have much out of the ordinary except it did have a branch of a large chain bookstore. Liska was far from upset over that. However, no matter how nice the town was, it was the house they were really interested in. And they still hadn't seen that. So Liska scooped Harry up and started walking.

Even carrying him, it really only took her ten minutes to get to what had to be the cottage. It wasn't big, at least not from the outside, but for two people, it didn't need to be. It also looked like it could use some repair. Oh well, it wasn't like she didn't know how to use a hammer. And magical repair would be even easier. One thing she did like was that the cottage was practically on the edge of a forest. Of course, she had always liked forests. Though, being on the edge of a forest meant that she would have to make sure that nothing dangerous could get too close. But there were hazards everywhere. Personally, she'd take the hazards of the forest over the hazards of the city any day. At least the hazards of the forest didn't wear harmless faces. Though the fact that she was part fox probably had something to do with her opinions.

"Well, this looks like it. Shall we look inside?"

Harry made a slight face. "Dirty."

"Yes, that it is, but don't worry, that's temporary."

"Temporary?"

"Opposite of permanent. It will only be that way for awhile."

"I'll clean?"

"No, that will not be necessary. If need be, we can hire a magical cleaning service." Liska found the key, and opened the door. This particular door could not be spelled open by someone who didn't have a key. That was a common enchantment on private houses. After all, how secure was a place if a simple spell would let anyone in?

It wasn't surprising that the room was dark, though Liska had to remind herself that the place would not be wired for electricity. She would have to do something about that. While Liska had excellent night-vision, Harry was not so lucky. So, she cast a simple light spell to look around.

Whoever the last person to own the place had removed the furniture. Probably just as well. The house had not been lived in for a long time. It reeked of disuse, and the only human scents were so old she could barely scent them at all. It could easily be more than fifty years since anyone had been here. There were four rooms, excluding a kitchen and bathroom on the first floor. Surprisingly, the plumbing was fairly modern, and water was running. Score one point for magic. Liska liked the ornate stone fireplace in the living room, and reminded herself to set up a safety charm. The second floor had one room that was obviously a master bedroom due both to size and the attached bathroom, another bathroom, and three other rooms. There was also a fair sized attic that showed the roof would have to be repaired or a skylight put in, and a basement that would almost certainly flood in heavy rain. The basement seemed more like a root cellar. Good for food storage, and preservation. Maybe she could learn canning.

The rooms were bigger than the outside would suggest, which was hardly surprising for a magical cottage. It was also in better shape than the outside looked. It could probably use a fair amount of redecorating as well. Being colorblind, she could let Harry have a bigger say on doing that. Maybe he'd like magical wallpaper. She didn't like it because she kept sensing motion and it would keep her awake.

On the outside, there was both a vegetable and a flower garden, both in fairly bad shape. While not a 'green thumb', Liska could usually manage most plants without killing them. And what she grew, she wouldn't have to buy. Besides, if she wasn't going to be working, she would need something to do with her time.

There was a creek on the property. Harry liked that. He enjoyed tossing rocks in it. Liska let him do that, while she took a look in the forest. Going just enough into the forest that she was surrounded by trees, Liska closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened up all her other senses, trying to find what lived there. No very large predators, thankfully. There was a slight possibility of wolves, but that was the largest. She could set up some protection for that. There were foxes, deer, and a variety of small game. Maybe a few magical creatures, but none likely to be a threat. Good. And when strengthening wards on the house, it wouldn't be hard to prevent dangerous predators from coming nearby.

Liska exited the forest immediately when she smelled fear. Harry! As soon as he saw her, the fear disappeared though. She relaxed; he was just worried that he couldn't see her. That was all.

"So, what do you think, Kiddo?"

"It's empty."

She laughed, scooping him up quickly making him giggle. "It is that. We'd have to get furniture. You'd help me, right?"

"Yeah! And clean."

"I'll clean. Oh, look at that." She pointed out a knarl that was peeking out from the porch steps. She could tell it was a knarl because it didn't smell like a hedgehog.

"Ooh! Pet?"

"No, not pet. You'll scare him. Harry, look at me. Don't get close to any animal unless an adult you trust says it's okay. Most animals will hurt you if they get scared. Understand?"

"Unnerstand."

"Good. So, do you like the house?"

"Just us? No Dursleys?"

"Just us and definitely no Dursleys."

Harry nodded. "I like the creek. And animals. Look! Doggies!" He tried to point at something over her shoulder. Liska turned quickly. Foxes, two of them. They must have sensed her checking the forest. It wasn't common to see more than one fox together outside of a mother with kits or mating season.

"Foxes. Not doggies. We do not pet foxes. They would get scared."

"Okay." Harry sounded disappointed.

Personally, Liska felt that the foxes were a good omen, if she believed in such things. "Well then, I guess we found a new home."

"We sleep here tonight?"

"No, we have to get it ready first. It needs cleaning and furniture."

"Soon?"

"Soon. For now, let's get back to the hotel. I think you're tired."

"I'm," Yawn. "Not."

"Oh really?"

"Well, a little."

"Tomorrow we'll get started. Maybe we can move in by the end of the week." Hmm, was there a magical furniture store or would she have to figure out a way to get a muggle furniture store to deliver? For that matter, could she find a magical electrician? That was one thing she could not do on her own.

A few stores were still open when they got back to the town. Only a few because country shops keep early hours. Liska checked prices in the ones she was likely to need. As could be expected, prices were lower than London, but variety was less. Typical for country shops. There was a bus to and from Hogsmede three times a week, so she could always go there for things she needed but couldn't find here. She couldn't tell how large the magical community was, but guessed it wasn't that big, after all, the entire town didn't seem to be more than six thousand people. The magical population was probably not more than a tenth of the population. Maybe a quarter, but that was being generous.

From the center of town, well, the magical part, Liska summoned the knight bus again. She didn't want the drivers knowing where her house was. After all, the fewer people who knew the better. Meaning she would probably want the floo disconnected, or at least, on restricted access. Then again, it was entirely possible that if she did absolutely nothing, no one would realize that anyone lived there and wouldn't try to come. Liska had more than once tried taking so many precautions that she tipped someone off by that. She was working on not doing that.

Finally they were back at the hotel. Liska heated up the food they got at the diner that morning and they had that for a late supper. Then Liska taught Harry how to play Go Fish, or at least tried to. After a few rounds of that, Harry seemed to be falling asleep, so Liska got him changed and tucked into bed, and read one of the new books to him.

Then she renewed the wards she put up the day before. Fortunately that didn't take half the energy as putting them up in the first place did. Then she sat down to make a list of all she needed or at least wanted to accomplish. She would have to inform her family that the house would work. Mother would be glad to hear that. And she would have to make arrangements for Koto to come over. The house needed basic repair and electricity first off. Fortunately, Liska spotted a likely possibility for that in the town. If she couldn't get electricity, hopefully he could duplicate the effects. While she had managed to get her laptop to withstand magical residue, she couldn't get it to run on magic. Though she would pay highly anyone who could. That was the only appliance she really needed to make work. Everything else she could either do without or use a magic alternative. But she had yet to find a magical equivalent to a computer.

Then there was furniture, dishes, linens, and more. Liska buried her head in her hands. Was she really equipped to deal with this? She had never been away from home for more than a month. Striking out on her own, with a child? Was she insane? Well, actually, she probably was, so she shouldn't ask that. She was nineteen; she wasn't supposed to be raising a five year old! Then again she wasn't supposed to be a ninja either. She wasn't supposed to have fought vampires at nine. Actually, she was just sort of there, she didn't do that much fighting. But she had taken down a gang at twelve. How hard could raising a child be?

Harry whimpered in his sleep causing her to turn her head fast enough to get whiplash. This was going to be harder than she thought. But, Liska looked at his sleeping face; she couldn't bring herself to regret what she had done. Come what may, she'd do her best and hope that was enough.

At least now there would be a house to raise him. Every good house needed a name. Maybe she should ask Harry for help on that one. Her eyes caught on one of the books. Foxfire. In Japanese mythology, when a fox performed mischief, foxfire appeared and warned people. Well, she was a fox, and she could certainly be considered to be causing mischief. She'd ask Harry if he liked the name. In the morning. She was a bit tired herself. So, after a short talk with Father, Liska went to sleep herself.

Harry woke up with a crash of thunder. It was still dark. A storm must have come in. Unlike that morning, Harry did not forget where he was. Dudley would always go to his parents during a storm. But if Harry did, he was yelled at. Would Miss Anna yell at him? He cast a look at her. She was still asleep. But as he was looking at her, she stirred and sat up.

"Harry? You're awake?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did the storm scare you?"

"Uh-huh."

"C'mere." Harry needed no second invitation. Within an instant, the bed had the sudden addition of a five year old and his stuffed fox Cutie. Miss Anna gave him a hug, holding a little closer when he cringed at another loud crack.

"Do you know what causes thunder?"

"No?"

"Lightening travels through the sky really, really fast. So fast that air can't even keep up. That makes a loud noise, thunder."

"Oh." He jumped at another crack. "I don't like it."

"Me neither." She whispered as if telling a secret. Harry giggled. "Hey, want to hear a story?"

Harry nodded.

"Okay, this is a Japanese folk tale. It's called Three Strong Women. It starts with a wrestler named Forever Mountain…" Harry listened intently to the story, barely noticing that the storm was calming down outside. By the time she got to the end "… and when there is the sound of thunder in the mountains they say it is Forever Mountain wrestling with Grandmother." the storm was over, and Harry was nearly asleep. Miss Anna kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight, my kit. Sleep well."

Next Chapter: Liska and Harry move in. Dumbledore finds out Harry's missing.

Author Notes: I have seen the Goblin language called Gobbledygook in a few places so I think it's canon. If I'm accidentally stealing somebody else's idea, I'm really sorry. Coron Way, to the best of my knowledge is entirely made up. Yes, Ollivander's is the big name in wand making but it can't be the only one. Three Strong Women is a real Japanese fairy tale and a fun one too, but I don't want to step on any copy write toes so look it up. Bonus points for the first person to guess who is the first person at Hogwarts to encounter Liska and Harry.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all your kind reviews! Two people have informed me that Gobbledygook is indeed canon, thank you for that. And two people have tried to make a guess as to who will encounter Liska and Harry first. Well, you're about to find out!

Albus Dumbledore was normally a fairly placid man. Between the fact that he had lived long enough to have a lot of experience, many ways of gathering information, and a little judicious use of legimancy, very few things took him by surprise. Arabella Figg flooing urgently during a meeting with the heads of houses, to tell him that the Dursleys were moving, something the blood wards should not permit, and that they didn't have Harry, certainly counted. The meeting was dissolved immediately, and Albus got to Privet Drive as quickly as he could. This might be a mistake, but he didn't dare hesitate in case it wasn't.

Sure enough, there was a moving van in front of the house. The wards, the carefully constructed blood wards that had taken so much energy to create, were gone without so much as a trace. As he was trying to read the magic around the house, Vernon Dursley came out. As he was already reading magic, it was not difficult to spot the residue of a magical spell on him. Albus studied it. A truth spell? But one different from other truth spells he knew. And the magical aura of the caster wasn't familiar. Perhaps a foreign trained witch or wizard. But why a truth spell? Since he wasn't familiar with the exact attributes to this spell, he could not undo it. That being the case, he did the next best thing. He took advantage of it.

"Excuse me, you're moving?"

Vernon Dursley curled his lips in disgust. "You're one of those freaks aren't you? We don't want anything to do with you, or your kind. Why do you think we're moving?"

"But what about your nephew? The protections were specific to this house."

"Some strange woman came by. Actually knew something about your kind, said she'd take the brat. I think she's insane, but she took him off our hands, and I ain't complaining. Even signed a legal contract. We wrote it up in the living room."

Albus Dumbledore felt his blood run cold. He couldn't tell if it was from this man's callous distaste for a child that Albus had to admit he had a soft spot for, the man's willingness to give a blood relative to stranger he knew nothing about, or the fact that some unknown stranger now had Harry. "Woman? What woman?"

"I don't remember. Ann or Anna or something like that. Petunia, what was the name of that woman?"

"Anna Andrews. That's what she said. She said it was absolutely criminal that we were stuck with the freak. A normal family like us. Now we don't have to worry about him corrupting Dudley."

The woman indicated the very large child behind her.

The child whined. "But now who do I hit?"

He was ignored. Vernon turned to his wife, "And without the brat we can have more space. Even if it was only the cupboard, it will be nice to use it for storage."

"Cupboard?" Albus asked.

"Sure, that's where the freak slept." He was answered. Albus had to stop himself from hexing the man then and there. A child, in a cupboard? He must have misunderstood. Surely no one would do that.

"What cupboard?"

"Under the stairs. Why spend the space on a freak like that? Or money for that reason? He wore Dudley's old cast-offs. Petunia had even gotten him to the point of doing chores. That I might miss a little."

"I see." Albus was seething. He could not remember the last time anything got him that mad. However, no matter what sad specimens of humanity these people were, Harry would be safest with blood wards. "If I managed to track down the woman who has him…" He had to hope the child was still alive. He had to. The alternative was unthinkable.

"We're not taking him back!" Vernon roared. "Keep that freak and his unnaturalness away from us! Like that woman said, it's absolutely criminal to expect us to do it!"

"Yes, I'm beginning to agree. When did this happen?"

"A few days ago. Don't remember exactly, don't care."

"I see. Well, thank you for your time." No one who knew him would have believed that Albus Dumbledore could manage that much sarcasm. Albus wondered briefly if it was the woman who cast the truth charm on them. And if so, why? Whatever the reason, he was a bit glad of it. It took everything he had not to hex them himself. What had he been thinking leaving the child with them? And what had they been thinking, giving the child to a stranger? Albus Dumbledore apparated back to Hogwarts feeling sadder and older and more foolish than he had in a very long time.

It didn't take long to tell all the heads of house what happened. To say they were horrified was an understatement. Especially since everything Albus tried told him there was no such person as a magically trained Anna Andrews. All attempts to find Harry Potter were also failing miserably. Either the boy was dead, or he was hidden so well that even he couldn't find him. Of course, if the woman, assuming it really was a woman, wasn't a Death Eater, or a sympathizer, than none of them would be able to find the boy either. Unfortunately, the only thing he had supporting that side was that Severus knew of no one matching the vague description that Dumbledore had gotten from the Dursleys. However, that did not safeguard against disguises, magical or mundane, or the fact that Severus did not know all the Death Eaters. There was also the possibility that she was a foreign follower of Voldemort. He did have some, and Severus didn't know most of those.

Not wanting to spread a panic, or let any Death Eaters who didn't know, know about the possibility, Albus stuck to only telling the Order and asking that each of them keep a look out for any information, even though he realized it was probably too little too late. Albus closed his eyes in grief so deep that even Fawkes could not help him.

Unknown to Dumbledore, the people he was concerned with were happily moving into their new house, less than fifty kilometers away. Though in all fairness, they didn't know about Dumbledore, afraid and unhappy so nearby. They were much too busy working on more mundane concerns like what furniture to get. Take couches for example.

Harry's main criteria for couches seemed to be whether or not he could bounce on them. Liska was more concerned with were they soft and comfortable. Preferably comfortable enough to sleep on if necessary. Neither cared what color they were or if they went with anything else in the house. Between the two of them, they were managing fairly nicely.

Liska decided to let Harry have as much freedom as possible in decorating his room. Harry was delighted with this, and was showing interesting taste. They got magical wallpaper, a forest with animals that would show up, and hide and travel to other walls, etc. Harry, for some reason or other, wanted a bunk bed. Liska agreed to this, but only after she got him to agree not to sleep on the top until he was older, like seven or so. To take some of the sting out of that, she showed him how blankets could be hung from the top to form a little enclosed space, like a secret cave in one of those fairy tales. Harry liked that, but only if she left one side open so he could see out of it, and not think he was back in the cupboard even if he woke up in the middle of the night. And he wanted a beanbag chair. Liska shrugged and picked up two. They were now the official story chairs. There were lots of story times in Foxfire house. Both Kitsune and children love stories.

Liska's room was more restrained. She wouldn't have bothered changing the walls, but Harry insisted they were ugly, so they got wallpaper. In her case, the wall paper didn't move. Harry was disappointed with that, but Liska just explained that it made it harder for her to sleep. She also went without a bed for a while, using a mat, like traditional Japanese houses. She did get a bed when she found a nice one though, mostly so that Harry was comfortable when he came to find her after waking up with nightmares. Those were still fairly frequent, and actually increasing. Liska chose to see that as a semi-positive sign that even sub-consciously he felt safe enough for negative emotions. Though, semi-positive or not, she'd be glad when he got past that stage.

The rest of the house, mostly they just bought whatever was available or felt right. To introduce Harry to her heritage, Liska purchased both a 'normal' table and chairs, and a low table with cushions. They alternated how to eat, maybe not every other day, but not neglecting either. Harry seemed to enjoy both, even if the second did take some getting used to.

They also converted one room on the second floor into a study/library. Harry seemed to like that room too. Though that might have something to do with the fact that most of the time he was in there, he had hot chocolate, or a similar treat in one hand, a biscuit in the other, and was listening to a story, or learning how to read. The fireplace didn't hurt anything either. Something about watching a fire is very relaxing to most people. Though only after Liska charmed it so he couldn't possibly get burned or toss anything in, accidentally or deliberately.

The attic they converted into a play room for Harry after putting on some permanent temperate charms so it wouldn't get too cold or hot. Alright, it didn't have much in it yet, but Liska knew toys had a way of accumulating. Besides, Harry liked drawing and wanted someplace to hang his artwork. So she set up an art station for him, with a small desk his size, crayons, colored pencils, and lots and lots of paper. She gave him permission to hang up his pictures anywhere in the attic or in his room, but he had to ask if he wanted one somewhere else.

Within two days he had given her so many pictures that she had an enchanted frame that would show a different picture every time she tapped it with her fan. It held twenty pictures, and it looked like she'd need another one soon.

The spare room on the downstairs, Liska was turning into a dojo. She, for one, would need to keep in practice. And she should teach Harry. That part she wasn't actually looking forward too. It was too easy to hurt a child that young for one thing. For another, it was one thing to know a martial art; it was something else entirely to teach it. Besides, if he didn't like it, she might do more harm than good. Despite all her objections, one thing was stronger. What she could teach him might well save his life one day. And if that were the case, she would never forgive herself for not teaching him. After he was a little more used to her.

They also worked on a guest bedroom. While Liska didn't plan on having too many visitors, Koto would need someplace to sleep. And Kira would almost certainly visit when she could.

Liska was grateful to Koto's arrival two days after getting the house, not only because now the house could be warded, but also because Koto brought a lot of Liska's belongings with her. And while it technically wasn't hers, Liska was especially grateful for the childcare amulet that her mother included.

"Harry, come here." Harry abandoned the dragon toy he was playing with, showing up at her side. Liska put the necklace on him. In and of itself, it offered a little protection. But with a little help, it was even more useful. "Okay, anytime that you're lost, or hurt, or even just really afraid, and I'm not here, just tap this necklace, and I'll always be able to find you. I'm the only one who can take it off you, so don't worry about that. Okay, you can get back to playing." In addition to making it so she could always track him, she should have made it almost impossible for someone else to track him. Harry gave her an impulsive hug and went back to the dragon fighting the knights defending the castle. From the looks of it, the dragon was winning. At least until Spiderman joined the battle. Liska smiled and shook her head, grateful once again for the resiliency of children.

Koto's presence was also extremely beneficial when first quarter moon arrived. Liska knew that she would have to tell Harry all about herself, and soon, but she was still reluctant. At the moment, Harry had a hard time remembering her name wasn't Anna. She had told him her real name after that day in Diagon Alley and told him that he could call her Sakaki, Miss Sakaki, or even Aunt Sakaki. After all, that's what he probably would call her in Japan. She even told him he could call her Liska. Unless, of course, they weren't doing names. They practiced the hand signs every day. Harry was getting good. There were a good half dozen that he could do almost perfect every time. She even told him she was a ninja, though that was even more secret than magic. He couldn't tell anyone without asking her privately first. She had told him she was a kitsune; she just didn't explain everything that involved.

"I don't know what your problem is. He's five. He's not going to be scared unless you make this seem like a big deal. Otherwise, you're just a normal person who can turn into a fox. He's too young to understand that's not how things usually work. And you certainly can't hide it for long." Koto pointed out 'helpfully'.

"I'll be a fox while he's asleep. I only have to be like that from about midnight to six a.m. There's no reason for him to know yet."

"You mean other than the fact that there's a forty-five percent chance that he'll have a nightmare during that night?"

"He doesn't have them quite that often."

"I'm taking Murphy's Law into account."

"That Murphy, why can't he leave us alone? Okay, here's the deal, I'll tell him by next month. This time, can you handle it?"

"Fine." Koto sighed, showing how put upon she was. Though actually, the night passed better than either expected. Harry did not have any nightmares, and slept the night through. Liska roamed the forest in fox form discovering what was there, and even did a little minor hunting. That was something she might not tell Harry. At least, not until he was a good bit older.

Another new addition to the little family was a moderate sized brownish-gray (they told her) barn owl, who Liska, perhaps unwisely, decided to let Harry name. The owl was now named Feathers, which was one of his better suggestions. She liked it better than Owlie at least. Feathers was a female who, while initially distrustful of Liska, took to Harry immediately. Liska was neither surprised nor displeased at the bird's initial reaction. Any animal with a strong sense of smell tended to dislike her at first scent. It was because her looks didn't match her scent. She was used to it, though it was aggravating at times, especially since she liked animals. When they weren't trying to rip her throat out at least. Though owls shouldn't have much of a sense of smell. Must be because it was a magical bird. Fortunately, Liska and Feathers were able to come to a truce within two days. After all, Liska was the one feeding her most of the time. Animals make peace amazingly quickly when there is food involved.

All considering, Liska thought everything was going relatively smoothly. She was very careful not too say anything along those lines, however, as she knew very well that saying something along those lines was just inviting fate to take pot shots at you. She didn't need the help, thank you very much.

Unfortunately for her, fate didn't need the prompting either.

About two days after Albus Dumbledore's dismaying pronouncement, Severus Snape was thinking while making a potion. That was not unusual. After all, while maybe not a philosopher, no one had ever accused Severus Snape of being an idiot. And as a potion's master, he made a lot of potions.

So while the situation may not be unusual, the thoughts were. Severus was trying to figure out exactly how he felt about this situation. While he may not have any love lost on the young Potter, son of his school hood adversary, still, the boy was a very young child. And Severus Snape did not condone child abuse, no matter who the child. It sounded like the Dursleys were abusive. He wouldn't leave his worst enemy in a situation like that. And the young Potter practically was that.

And what had happened? He knew of no Anna Andrews, and neither did anyone else. There was very little communication between former Death Eaters these days, but what little he could get, no one seemed to have a clue that anything changed. Though they could be lying to him. He wasn't considered completely trustworthy. He laughed mirthlessly. There was good reason for that.

Was the boy even still alive? Albus wanted desperately to hope so. Severus believed hope to be dangerous without foundation. "Face the facts. The boy is almost certainly dead. Which means the rest of us are as well." He closed his eyes at that. While he hadn't been told everything, he knew enough to know that Albus believed that Voldemort was not completely dead, which Severus agreed with, and that Harry Potter was the only one who could stop him, which Severus did not want to agree with at all.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he did something that he would seldom admit to. He made a mistake. With a potion, of all things! Stirring a few too many times, the potion ended up completely ruined.

This put him in such foul temper that if it were the school year, he would probably take one hundred points from the next person he ran into, regardless of house, and regardless of what said student had done. However it was not during the school year and there were no Gryffindors or even Slytherins to take his ire out on.

With no students to vent at, and the other professors not being fair game, he had no options but to put it away for awhile, until he could find another way to release it. In the meantime, he had to remake the potion. Before he started, as always, he made sure he had enough of all the ingredients he needed. He didn't. He was almost out of powdered dragon's claws. Unfortunately, that was an expensive, rare, and difficult to get item. If he was lucky, the shop at Hogsmede would have it. So he cleaned up the mess and set out for town.

"You have _no_ powdered dragon's claw?" Severus asked for the third time, as if acting increasingly like the cashier was an idiot would make some appear.

"No, we do not carry that item."

"What type of apothecary are you?"

"It isn't a common ingredient."

"I don't care how common or rare it is, I care how I can find it." He seethed.

"Um, sir?" A low-level clerk, actually a student working a summer job, tried to say something.

"What?!" Both men snapped.

"There's a special shop in Coron Way. They might have it."

Severus calmed at once. "How do I get to Coron Way?"

"There's a bus that goes back and forth today. I think the next one is in a few minutes, outside Honeydukes."

Severus nodded in gratitude. Perhaps luck was smiling on him after all.

"Oh dear."

"What's wrong?" Liska peered around the kitchen doorway where she had been working with clay with Harry. She spotted Koto with some powder spilled on the ground. "What's that?"

"Powdered dragon claw. I use it in one of the wards."

"Can you use it after it's been on the floor?"

"Not if you want the ward secure."

"Yeah, that would be good. So we'll get more. Can't be that hard."

"I'm in the middle of casting a complex no intruder ward, I can't leave."

"Okay, I'll get it. Can you watch Harry, or should I take him with me?"

"Take him with you, it will be safest."

"Not a problem. Hey, Harry, wash your hands, grab your jacket and put on your hat. We're going to the village!"

Harry ran off to obey. He liked the village.

"Be careful." Called Koto as they left.

"We always are."

Severus was extremely pleased to find the specialist apothecary. Now, if they only had what he needed. He almost went into shock when a woman and child in front of him in line asked for the same item. It wasn't illegal, but it was expensive and there were few uses for it.

However, the clerk gave it to her, so unless she had the last, (which would likely lead to him doing something positively illegal to her) they should have some for him. They did. Now that he had his ingredient, he was feeling a bit more mellow. He had never been to this town before, might as well see what else they had, especially if it was so easy to get to. And while he was at it, what could that woman want with powdered dragon's claw?

Small town or not, he didn't see her again as he looked, and figured they went home. That is, he figured that until he bumped into the child at the bookstore and accidentally knocked the baseball cap off.

Then it took all the occlumency he possessed and then some not to have a heart attack as he saw a miniature of his once hated schoolmate.

"Sorry about that, excuse us." Said the woman who was with the boy, putting the hat on the boy immediately.

First, Severus had to convince himself he wasn't crazy. Then he had to convince himself it wasn't James Potter. No, the eyes were wrong. The answer, which should have been immediately obvious, waited about a minute before smacking him in the face. He had just run into Harry Potter! The boy Albus was searching desperately for. Now, where had they gone?

Liska was not happy that Harry's hat came off. They should have gone back home immediately. But Koto did say there was no hurry, and Harry was making good progress on reading, so Liska let herself be talked into going to the bookstore. She was even less happy at the man's reaction, even if she couldn't interpret it. Unfortunately, due to the wards Koto was working on, Liska could not apparate with Harry to Foxfire. And they hadn't brought the car.

And, no, she was not disturbed that her first instinct was to knife the man and escape with Harry in the confusion. Alright, maybe a little disturbed. She hadn't, at least partially because it would traumatize Harry to watch his guardian kill someone. There was also the fact she wasn't sure this man had done anything to deserve death. She might kill if she had to, but only if she had to. If he hurt Harry though, all bets were off.

She did take a second to make sure to remove any tracking charms that might have been left on either of them. At least, she hoped she'd gotten any there might have been. Liska then scooped up Harry, and cast a disillusionment charm so that they'd be difficult to spot, in addition to radiating 'Ignore me' broadly enough that it would be difficult for anyone to even look at them, she hoped. While Liska was capable of running the distance without too much difficulty, carrying Harry at the same time would make things more complicated. But when she saw the man come out of the store and look around, obviously looking for someone, Liska decided to risk it. But not before hitting him with a mild, temporary confusion curse.

Getting back home, they should be safe. With luck, Koto would have the wards secure enough that whoever this man was, he wouldn't even be able to see the house, even if he did somehow find the right direction.

Liska relaxed half-way there when she realized she wasn't being followed. She had lost the pursuer. Still, she was too uneasy to walk, so she settled for a loping stride. Harry, bless his soul, thought it was some kind of game. She'd have to tell him otherwise. Probably before the next trip out.

As they got into the boundaries of the property, and Liska felt the wards, she finally relaxed completely. They still weren't complete yet. But, still. The man wouldn't find them.

Unfortunately, Liska forgot something very important, that she normally would have remembered if she hadn't been so concerned with getting Harry out quickly.

Severus Snape spent half an hour roaming the streets of Coron Way looking for someone. He couldn't remember who he was looking for, but it was very important. He just wished he could remember why it was so important. Then, all of a sudden, he did. He was looking for Harry Potter! Someone must have hit him with a _confundus_, but for some reason it hadn't affected him the normal way. Unfortunately, it was now about thirty minutes after he spotted the boy in the bookstore. Unless the woman was phenomenally stupid, they would not still be in the town. At least he could give Albus the good news that Harry Potter was alive as of half an hour ago. He thought a little more. It was entirely possible that she lived either in the village or nearby. If so, someone might know where.

After awhile of asking around, he came to the conclusion that she had recently moved into the area. She had purchased a lot of furniture, so she had to be nearby. She was unlikely to be living in the town itself due to the fact that she really wasn't seen that often.

So, nearby. But where? Severus sat down to think. Even though she bought furniture, she didn't have it delivered, so there was no address. So, how else could he find out?

As some times happens, luck, whether good or bad remained to be seen, smiled on him. A child approached him. Probably about ten, a bit on the greedy and too knowing side. "You're looking for a short, red-haired woman and a kid wearing a lime green hat?"

"Yes, why?" Severus asked slowly. He had a long familiarity with this type.

"I saw which way they went. How much will you pay to know?"

"Are you attending Hogwarts in the fall?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I will pay two galleons if you tell me which way they went. If I find you lied to me however, when you get to Hogwarts, you will think that I am evil incarnate." And then he smiled that nasty, chilling smile that made grown men whimper and back away.

The child shuddered violently, but didn't leave. "I ain't lying."

"Show me."

The child led him to a dirt road, that Severus had to admit would leave a clear way for her to curse him. And when he saw a small pair of footprints with a slightly larger set of foot prints that a within a meter changed to just the larger set, but deeper, 'As if carrying someone,' that clinched it.

He paid the boy three galleons, and made a mental note to find some way to give him ten points in his first class, and started following the footprints. A nagging voice in his head said that he should inform Dumbledore, but he decided it would be better to have the boy first. Besides, he wasn't sure what the woman wanted. If she got spooked, she might kill the child.

After an hour, with no disturbance of the wards, Liska decided that it was at least moderately safe. Koto had gotten in the ones about not allowing anyone who meant harm to anyone in the house to enter, and not letting any stranger apparate with anyone in the house, after all. So, after an hour of Harry obviously wanting to play outside, but not wanting to nag, Liska finally said yes, but only if he stayed near the house and came in immediately if he saw anyone. Even if he didn't think the other person saw him. Harry promised he would.

It took longer than he thought to follow the tracks. She was a pretty good runner for a tiny woman. He was just lucky she hadn't apparated. Perhaps she didn't know how. Some didn't. Mostly inferior witches and wizards, who would botch a simple potion.

When he came to the end of the tracks, there was a house. He actually had difficulty seeing it at first. Someone had good wards. He wondered for a moment whether or not he had the right place. Then he saw the Potter boy come out the door and start throwing rocks at the pond. This was just too easy.

Still not knowing what he was dealing with as far as that woman went, he decided to grab the child and apparate him away. Then he could let the rest of the order about this and let them deal with it. To be on the safe side, he came up behind the boy so he wouldn't be seen.

It is probably strange that, spy though he was, it never occurred to him that this could be a trap.

The boy turned and saw him, just before he got there, and for some reason, touched his necklace. Element of surprise gone, Severus grabbed the child and started to apparate.

Nothing happened. Well, that's not quite true. Severus Snape did not end up leaving like he hoped, but something did happen. Mostly, something exploded out the front door resulting in that woman holding a sword at his throat, saying, "You hurt him and I swear I'll kill you."

It is quite possible other things happened too, but sharp steel at one's neck is very distracting. Still he tore his eyes from the sword to her eyes, the best gauge of her seriousness. Those eyes assured him that she would carry out her threat without hesitation and with little, if any, regret.

Severus Snape had once had the misfortune of accidentally coming between Molly Weasly and her somewhat injured offspring. Two days later, a mostly coherent Severus Snape informed a concerned and slightly amused headmaster who was visiting him in the hospital wing that a hysterical Molly Weasly was the scariest force in nature. Imagine his dismay to find he was wrong.

Congratulations Cornflake on your correct guess. Next chapter: Well, you'll just have to read it.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, people really liked that last chapter, huh? Slight note about using Snape and Dumbledore as 'heavies' as one reviewer put it. They aren't evil, they do not want Harry miserable, but they aren't perfect either. They make mistakes, sometimes large mistakes. And when those mistakes involve Harry, Liska, as long as she hasn't done the same, will let them know about it. Loudly and with great force if necessary. Personally I kind of like Snape, which will not prevent me or Liska from antagonizing him whenever possible.

Chapter Five

Severus Snape used skills he had perfected as a spy and had hoped that he would never need again to try to read this woman's skill level and willingness to kill. He was already fairly sure that she would kill him if he hurt the child, but he hadn't intended on doing that in the first place. She was still on the porch which gave her both a slight height advantage and a platform to jump from giving her more than enough momentum to catch up if he tried to run. One hand rested lightly on a pillar in the corner for balance, but could undoubtedly be moved instantly if needed. The hand holding the sword was steady, and she looked capable of holding the sword and the pose for an hour or more without difficulty. As her sword was already at his throat, she could kill him easily before he could manage a spell. She didn't have a wand out, but that didn't necessarily mean much. She did have wards and she was at an apothecary so she was no ignorant muggle. If she was a muggle it was a well informed one. Her eyes were cold and showed total willingness to carry out her threat. Circumstances being such, Severus did the best he could and released his hold on the child, and slowly raised his hands.

If he was reading the situation right, and he certainly hoped he was, than the woman cared strongly for the boy. The fact that she was threatening to kill him for harming him certainly implied that. And the fact that the instant he let go of the boy, he quickly scurried to the woman and grabbed her leg implied that he wasn't afraid of her. He hoped he was reading this situation right, because if he was, hopefully this woman would be reluctant to kill him with the child watching.

His hope was backed up slowly, by the fact that she was trying to glance at the boy without fully taking her eyes off of him. "Drop your wand." the woman insisted. He did so, reluctantly. Without anyone telling him to, the child picked it up and handed it to the woman, who seemed a bit surprised, but took it. At this point her eyes did leave Severus, but the instant he tried to back away, she was back at staring at him again. She had good instincts. The child then went back to staring at him from behind the woman.

"Does he want me back at the Dursleys?" the child, Potter, it was definitely Potter, asked.

"He might. I don't know yet."

"NO!!!" Potter screamed, causing both adults to wince and a window or two to crack. When Severus recovered he noticed that the woman had blood trickling from her ears. Any thoughts of taking advantage of this injury disappeared as he realized that the hand was still steady, and she was still watching him sharply.

"What's going on out here?" Another woman came out of the house. She was also short, though not as short as the first, with Oriental features, but at the same time might be related to the first. The first woman had some Oriental features if one really thought to look, Severus noticed. The second woman looked at him, "Oh dear." What she said next, Severus couldn't tell, but it was a fairly long string of foreign words. The first woman's ears stopped bleeding. She nodded her thanks. Then she inclined her head to the child. The second woman scooped him up with, "Come on, Sweetie, let's make you some lunch." And the boy was gone. And Severus Snape gave himself up for dead. Though the irony of the situation was a little much, even for him. Killed while trying to rescue the Potter boy.

"Who are you?" The woman demanded.

Would wonders never cease? She might not kill him after all. Provided he was actually polite, which was something he didn't have a lot of practice in. "Severus Snape."

"That tells me nothing."

"Potion Master at Hogwarts."

"Can you prove it?"

That was something he had never been asked before. "How would you have me do that?"

She thought for a moment. "Why is Kitsune blood an illegal substance?"

"Several reasons. It has the unfortunate tendency to drive any one who drinks it insane. In addition, it reacts in dangerous, somewhat unpredictable ways with other common ingredients. There is also the fact that all potions that do involve that substance are illegal based on their intention. Not to mention the Kitsune-Wizarding Contract of 1647, where they demanded that Kitsune blood not be legal."

"That will do. You work for Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

"I could ask you the same."

"And if you had the sword at my throat, instead of the other way around, I would probably answer."

"Albus Dumbledore is concerned for the safety of Harry Potter. He had blood wards over his relative's house. You removed the child and the wards fell."

"So this was over concern for his safety?"

"You are an unknown variable."

"I see." She started to smile. Severus did not think he liked that smile. At all. "Well, it just so happens that I wanted to have a talk with Albus Dumbledore. Let's go and do that now, shall we? Koto!" The other woman showed up at the door. "Severus Snape and I are going to have a talk with Albus Dumbledore. If I'm not back in a reasonable time, you know what to do."

"Alright, but I really hope it doesn't come to that."

"Same here." She put the sword away, though Severus could not quite tell where she put it, and started walking, right past him. Severus blinked at her, when she turned and asked, "Aren't you coming?"

Deciding quickly that being threatened at sword point once per day was well more than enough, he started to follow her. Besides, she had his wand. Even if he didn't know where she was heading, it would still probably be best to follow. It also didn't escape his notice how she seemed to know exactly where he was at all times. Every time he tried to put some distance between them, she turned and looked straight at him. Most witches and wizards did not put much stock into physical exercise. Severus was a bit of an exception, believing that keeping physically fit could very well help him live longer in his dangerous job as spy. This woman was even more physically trained from what he could see.

They ended up shortly outside the village before she waved his wand and summoned the knight bus. She then asked to get as close to Hogwarts as possible. Severus was a bit surprised she wasn't just apparating, but she may not be capable of it, or she might just figure that apparating would cause her to lose control of the situation. He was also slightly surprised that she paid his fare as well, but decided he shouldn't be. He was still somewhat her captive.

The bus let them off at Hogwarts gates. Severus was beginning to feel a bit less afraid. Surely she wouldn't be able to kill him on Hogwarts grounds, right? He also wondered what the other woman, Koto, was supposed to do if this first woman wasn't back in a 'reasonable time'. He asked her, but she ignored him.

Severus had to give the password to get in the gates. He felt bad about that, but how else were they going to get in? They couldn't just stand there forever. He found himself hoping they would run into someone, anyone, before they reached Dumbledore's office, but they didn't. Rather than give the Headmaster's password, he asked the portraits to tell him they were coming. Albus was waiting outside his office.

The look of calm and quiet confusion was one Severus did not see often, and might yet be worth all this. Albus invited them into his office and offered them each a lemon drop. Both refused politely. Albus himself took one. "So, what is all this about?"

"This woman has Harry Potter." The look on his face made the whole afternoon worthwhile. First, there was complete shock and surprise, closely followed by a strange mix of hope and fear.

"You are the mysterious Anna Andrews?"

"Anna Andrews doesn't exist. It's a made up persona of mine. The Dursleys didn't seem the most open minded of people. I decided the more normal I seemed; the more likely they would listen to me."

"I see, then if I may ask, who are you?"

"Before I answer, can you prove that you are indeed Albus Dumbledore?"

"What would you accept as proof?" He seemed puzzled by this, and with good reason. It had probably been a long time since anyone challenged him like this.

"What are the twelve uses of dragon's blood?"

Albus listed them concisely. The woman nodded.

"My name is Sakaki Annsejou, at your service. Though I generally go by Liska these days."

"Sakaki? As in the daughter of Ann Prewitt?" Albus asked. He seemed a bit calmer at this pronouncement.

"Indeed."

"Ann Prewitt? Any relation to Molly Prewitt, now Weasly?" Severus asked.

"Yes, I believe they were second cousins making me second cousins once removed, or third cousins. I always mix those up. I believe I am second cousins once removed with Molly Weasly, and third cousins with her children."

"That explains a lot." Severus muttered. Both looked at him, but he didn't elaborate. Seeing this, they ignored him and went back to each other.

"I must ask, what are your intentions with Harry Potter?"

"Before I answer that, I would like to know your own." It wasn't often that Albus got his own questions turned back on him. It seemed to fluster him.

"I want only the boy's safety."

"As do I."

Albus relaxed entirely at that. "Well, seeing as we have the same goal, and as I'm sure we are both reasonable people," they both ignored Severus' snort, "I'm certain we can work something out. He is safest with the blood wards. No one can hurt him so long as he is with the Dursleys."

"No one except the Dursleys, you mean."

"While they are hardly exemplary samples of humanity, surely they wouldn't treat the boy that badly, would they?"

"Do you know how many bruises I found on Harry the first time I gave him a bath?"

"No. But surely, these are incidental bruises from normal activities?" It was almost painful watching someone wanting to believe something when they knew better.

"No, not unless normal activities leave handprints the same way a hard slap would. The mark is bigger than my hand, so it wasn't his cousin. I suspect it was his uncle, but even after some time with me, and multiple reassurances, he won't tell me. Have you ever heard of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?"

"Sadly, yes."

"I've seen it. I've suffered through it. I've helped others get through it. That boy has it. He's making progress, slowly, but still progress."

Albus shut his eyes sadly. "I never knew."

"It was your job to know!" The woman, Sakaki, shouted, making both men jump. "It was your job to make sure that a child who ended up in your care was being taken care of by those whose care you left him in. Didn't you watch at all?"

"I did have a watcher to let me know of anything unusual." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. He'd be lucky if he managed that much. Sakaki wasn't being convinced, and quite frankly, Severus was beginning to question as well.

"I was there for five minutes, watching the Harry and his cousin in the park, and I knew something was wrong. How come no one else noticed? I never would have done anything if everything seemed fine."

"Was it really necessary for you to compel the Dursleys to give the boy up?" Severus asked.

"There was no compelling involved. I just mentioned the possibility that I could take him, they did the rest."

"I see. That is unfortunate indeed. However, he is truly only safe with those blood wards. Perhaps if something could be done to change the Dursleys attitude towards him?" Albus began.

"Not possible. First of all, in order to do that, you would have to use some powerful illegal magic on them, believe me, nothing else would work. I know you don't want to do that. Secondly, even if the Dursleys woke up tomorrow, truly repentant and wanting him, it would be far too traumatizing to send him back. Thirdly, I think I can manage to keep him as safe, if not safer than the blood wards will. You knew my mother, correct?"

"Yes." Albus answered, sounding slightly puzzled.

"You are aware who she married?"

Severus made it a mental note to find out as soon as possible, as he watched Albus' eyes go from confused to understanding to hopeful. While he was at it, he was going to check where he had heard the name 'Liska' before. "Yes, perhaps you can at that. However, you must understand that especially after the previous disaster, we are especially concerned now."

"Then do what you should have done before. Arrange for some people, whom we can both trust, to have both scheduled and unscheduled visits, at least for awhile, to make sure that I am a capable guardian."

"You will agree to this?"

"I will even key them into the wards. I may not like the idea entirely, but I understand the desire that is behind it."

"And there is no way we could persuade you to let one of us have custody instead?"

"Not likely. We've bonded to some extent. Besides when someone comes and tries to kidnap him from under my nose, it's surprising that I can trust you any further than I can throw a hippogriff. I'm quite tempted, even now, to stun you both, and take Harry and hide so deeply you'd be lucky if you could even find him to deliver his Hogwarts letter. Believe me, I could. I think I'm compromising enough with the watchers idea. I am a very private person after all."

"Very well, I believe Severus, as he has already met you, would be a good start to this list."

Severus did not agree to this statement and tried to deny his ability for this task. He was ignored.

"That will be fine. In fact, that may be for the best. Kinamaya is a good school, but potions was not covered very thoroughly. I can and have brewed a few simple potions, but have little experience with them. I purchased a few books on the subject, but with a teacher, I could probably do better. You did say you were a Potions Master, correct? Perhaps you would be willing to tutor me? I would pay."

As if he didn't do enough of that during the school year! He was about to refuse, when the headmaster caught his eye. "Very well." He ground out, sounding like the words were dragged from him. "However I expect hard work and a lot of dedication. Potions is a precise art, and can be extremely dangerous. It requires skill and practice." He was about to go on but stopped when she commented.

"It's throwing stuff in a cauldron and stirring, how hard can it be?" She shrugged.

That was how Professor Snape learned that it was actually possible to feel one's face turn purple. He probably would have blasted her away with invectives but he didn't get the chance. For a good minute, he was incapable of speech. Before he regained capability, she gave him a Look, with a capital L, and said, "You need to lighten up. Don't take life so seriously, you'll never get out of it alive." Then she turned back to Albus, "Who else should be on the list?"

Albus took a moment to control his amusement before answering. "I believe Molly and Arthur Weasly would be good candidates, both because of my trust in them, and your relationship to the former."

She nodded. "That sounds acceptable. Perhaps, more could be added later. For now, I wish some more information. Harry is going to have questions about his past, and I can't answer them."

"Yes, he will. What would you like to know first?"

"When is his birthday?"

"July 31st. He will be turning six."

"That's coming up." She muttered to herself before continuing. "How did his parents die?"

"They were killed by Voldemort." Severus cringed slightly. The woman did not.

"The dark lord that tried rising a few years back? Yes, I've heard of him. I was out of the country at the time, but I have heard of him."

"Then you realize that young Harry is very important. He is after all, famous in the wizarding world."

"Interestingly enough, I did not realize who he was when I took him from the Dursleys. I just knew he was a magical child being raised by non-magical parents who had no idea what they were dealing with, and were afraid."

"Do you think that magical children should only be raised by magical parents? Do you think that muggleborn magical children should be removed from their families?" Albus asked, looking troubled.

"I think that one should not make a blanket statement like that. I do not believe that a muggle born magical child should be removed from a safe and loving household, simply because the child is magical and the parents not. But I do believe that magic is a form of power that a lot of people do not understand. And people tend to fear what they don't understand. And sometimes, people do horrible things because of that fear. I have seen people reject family members outright for something they could not help, that was much smaller than magic. How can I not expect that some people would react badly to their children having magic? On the other hand, I do not expect magical families to be perfect either. Child abuse does happen, for many reasons, or no reason. Neither the wizarding world, or the muggle world is exempt from it, much as we may wish they were."

"Indeed." Albus said gravely. "It is a sad fact of life. There is one other thing you should know if you are to be the boy's guardian. There is a prophecy."

"A prophecy? How interesting, but seldom useful, if I recall. Most prophecies really only make sense after they have been fulfilled, don't they?"

"True enough, but this one has already been partially fulfilled. I will not share the whole contents, but basically it states that Harry Potter has the power to defeat Voldemort and only he can do it. Voldemort marked him as his equal by trying to kill him as a baby. I do not know exactly what occurred, but Voldemort disappeared. I do not believe him gone entirely. Harry must be kept safe. And in addition, if I am right, Voldemort would not hesitate to kill you simply because you sheltered Harry."

The woman's face turned pensive. "Well, that's no good. Wanting me dead simply because I'm taking care of Harry. I'll have to figure out a reason for him to want to kill me on my own merits, should he return." This comment made both men stare at her. She defended herself with a light-hearted shrug and, "Everyone needs a hobby."

"And yours is antagonizing powerful dark lords?" Severus asked incredulously.

"No, my hobby is fighting them. Antagonizing them is a side benefit."

"Are you insane, woman?" escaped from his mouth before he realized he was going to say anything.

"Isn't that one of the things you are supposed to figure out? I can't tell you and take all the fun away." She smiled at him.

Albus twinkled at this. She must be mad. Albus was probably mad in the same way.

"You call fighting dark lords a hobby?"

"What do you think I was doing here in the first place? I wouldn't even have been in the country if I hadn't heard information enough to convince me that someone wanted to try a ritual of Black Night Ascension."

Both men paled at that. "Oh, he's no threat anymore. And the ritual doesn't actually work; though forgive me if I'd rather he not even come close to trying."

"You stopped him?" Albus asked.

"Oh yes."

"How?"

"I highly doubt you want to know. Let us merely say that I did not use any spells illegal in this country and that I did nothing that would be traced to me."

While Severus did not want to leave it at that, he didn't have much choice. Especially as Albus was willing to. Probably didn't want to know. "Are you certain you can handle raising a child?"

"I would not dream of taking the responsibility if I did not think I could keep him as safe as possible, safer than he was. Besides, I did sign a legal contract of adoption. Yes, we drew it up in the living room, but it is enough to hold up in a muggle court of law, and therefore recognized by magical law."

"But you said yourself that Anna Andrews doesn't exist." Albus probed gently.

"She doesn't. But she is legally recognized. Creating a paper trail is almost ludicrously easy sometimes. It's another one of those things you probably don't want to know."

"Perhaps it could be arranged for you to adopt him through magical means. But that would mean everyone would know you had him."

"I don't like that idea. If he is in as much danger as you say, the fewer people who know where he is, the better."

"Indeed. Only a handful of people knew where he was, and only a few more know he was missing. You are probably not on any one's list of possible candidates."

"Then I'll continue with my precautions. And do something to make sure that we don't have another accident like today."

Severus snorted slightly.

"I have a question for you. How did you find us? I know I hit you with a confusion charm, and we were disillusioned."

"I had a hard time, I admit. I probably wouldn't have managed at all if some child hadn't overheard me making inquiries and pointing out the road you were on. From there I followed the footprints."

"Will you excuse me for a minute?" She asked calmly, walked sedately over to a corner and started forcibly banging her head against the wall while ranting in a foreign language. The only word Severus could pick out, not because he knew it, but because she used it frequently with great intensity and volume, was '_baka_'. From the sounds of it, the word was not overly complementary. After about a minute of this, she returned to her seat with the same calm smile she had worn throughout most of the proceedings. "I completely forgot about footprints. I'll have to do something about that. Thank you for pointing that out."

"If Severus could find you, are you certain you are safe enough?" Albus asked, concerned.

"The wards are not yet finished, though they should be by tomorrow night. And the wards that are up are more than enough to keep out anyone who means harm to Harry. And even Severus did not find it as easy as he apparently assumed it would be. No hard feelings about almost killing you, right?"

Severus shook his head. He hoped that Albus wouldn't find out about that. But from the glint of curiosity in his eyes, he wasn't going to get away with that. However, he had to answer her question. "I understand the reasoning. But I would also be most appreciative if you never threaten me at sword point again."

"And I would be most appreciative if you never try to kidnap Harry again."

He definitely was not going to get by without telling the story. "I'll keep that in mind."

She nodded. "Well it has been delightful to meet you both, and I'm glad to have even your tentative support in this endeavor. However, my cousin is indubitably getting more and more anxious the longer I'm gone. I think I should go and reassure her that I'm not dead."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Before you go, the two of you should decide on when your first potions lesson should be."

The two agreed upon meeting in two days, Severus would bring the Weasley adults, so Sakaki, Liska, whatever, could key them into the wards. Provided they agreed to be included in this. Though Severus didn't have many doubts that they would be interested. Albus didn't seem to have many either.

"Out of curiosity, what house were you in in school?" Severus asked.

"I don't think it really matters that much, but Kinamaya didn't sort by personality so much as by the type of magic the student was likely to be best at. That and they sorted by the four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire. In my case, water narrowly beat out fire, meaning that my major advantages were in transformation and some forms of mind magic. Changing things while leaving them the same. It also implied I was adaptable, and capable of changing my behavior without compromising my beliefs. Fire was more charms and strong defense. The magic that prevents people from being able to hurt you. I admit, I have always been curious how I would have been sorted, had I attended Hogwarts instead."

The professors looked at the Sorting Hat. "Well, do you think you would be willing to do this during the summer?" Albus asked.

"Not as if I have anything better to do. Why not?"

Albus carefully handed her the old hat. She took it with equal care and put it on.

"Do you mind if I narrate out loud?" The hat asked.

"No, provided you keep my secrets, secret."

"Yes, lots of secrets. A difficult choice indeed. Intelligence is there, and plenty of it. Almost absolute devotion to a cause when you believe it deserves it, yet at the same time, you hold blind loyalty to no one. Courage enough to commit your life to what you feel is right. And cunning. Lots and lots of cunning. Yes, you could manage almost anywhere, but your best bet would likely be SLYTHERIN!"

"So Mother was right," was her only comment as she passed the hat back. "Not that it matters at this point."

"True, true. But now you know." Albus' eyes were twinkling harder than ever. Was he trying legimancy on her? No, he didn't seem to be. So Severus gave it a brief try. And found 'It's a Small World After All' playing on continuous repeat in some foreign language. Needless to say, he left quickly. She noticed anyway, but didn't say anything. He could tell she knew because she gave him an amused 'I know what you just did' look complete with raised eyebrow. It was slightly disconcerting considering he was far more familiar with McGonagall's 'What were you thinking, if anything' glare or Albus' 'I know everything' twinkle. A combination of the two was a bit odd.

Albus probably knew what happened but was more civilized than to call him on it while there was a guest present. After she left he was probably going to get another one of those 'Other people (Non-Slytherins) are deserving of respect and consideration too' lectures. He got a lot of those.

So, this woman would have been a Slytherin. Interesting. Not entirely surprising but still interesting. Ah well, it wasn't like she effected house points or anything. Though that did bring up the curious thought of how a Slytherin raised Potter would turn out. If Harry Potter turned up in Slytherin, he might well have to quit teaching. Then again, a few Slytherin traits might help balance out some of the Gryffindor arrogance that his father had.

"Oh, one thing about learning potions, I'm completely colorblind. Can that be worked around?" The woman's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Colorblind? Well, it won't be easy, but mainly color tells you whether or not you did it right. If you have other ways to find out, or someone to tell you, it should be alright."

"I imagine that at this age Harry could tell me that much."

"Wonderful. Potter helping with potions."

"Excuse me; do you have a problem with my charge?"

Severus ignored the look Albus was giving him. "I'm waiting for him to grow up to be as arrogant and insufferable as his father."

"So you have a problem with his father."

"Yes."

"His father who is dead."

"Yes."

"His father, whom he doesn't remember."

"Yes." And yes, he did know that she was leading him into a path that he didn't want to go, but he couldn't refuse to answer and lying felt like a very bad idea.

"Exactly what was your problem with his father?"

"Besides him being arrogant and insufferable?"

"Yes. I'm sure being such a naturally modest person that would bother you, but besides that."

He ignored the sarcasm. "He and his friends spent a great deal of time making my school years miserable."

"And you never returned the favor?"

"Well, maybe sometimes."

"The past hurts sometimes. Some people have trouble getting past certain aspects. That is your problem. But if that affects the way you treat Harry, then it becomes my problem. He is five years old and knows absolutely nothing of his parents, possibly including their names. Now you can be the mature one and let go of the past instead of letting it keep wounding you and deal with him on his own merits, or you can act immature and deal with me. I suggest you think about it. Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure. Mostly." With that, she bowed and left.

For a moment, no one moved or said anything. Finally Albus turned to Severus and said, "I think it would be best if you told me everything now.

After he finished, both men decided they needed a drink. "She actually held you at sword point?"

"Yes. And I will be just as glad if she never does that again. Who is she anyway? You seemed calmer once you knew."

"Did you know Ann Prewitt?"

"As her daughter appears to be not much younger than I, I think I can safely say, not well."

"Ann Prewitt had no immediate family by the time she graduated Hogwarts. Perhaps partly because of that, she caused a minor scandal when she decided to marry Sejou, leader of the Kekotai, and move to Japan. Though Sejou may not have been the leader than. I know he did become one soon afterwards though."

"The Kekotai? The famous group of Kitsune Ninjas?"

"The same. You've heard of them, I see."

"The Dark Lord hoped to win their support. Since they almost never inter-marry with humans, he figured they would support his stance on blood purity. He was wrong. I do not believe that any of us realized their leader had married a witch."

"I did not realize he tried recruit them. What happened?"

"He sent a delegation that I was fortunate not to be a part of. The delegates were foolish and forgot that Kitsune are an extremely proud race, and no safer to insult than a hippogriff. Worse actually, because they are smart enough to realize subtlety. That and the willingness of the delegates to harm children, the Kekotai were willing to compromise on their general policy on not hurting the messenger. They were hexed severely and warned that if they ever stepped foot in Japan again their lives were forfeit. Even the Dark Lord couldn't remove all of those hexes. Lucius Malfoy, for example, ended up with a peacock tail, elk antlers; lop ears like the rabbit, a bird beak, and furry hands. Not even the Dark Lord could change that, and he had to wear a permanent glamour for a year until they wore off. Someone said that the chief's daughter did that because he insulted her. Wait, the chief's daughter… Her?" Albus nodded. "That was seven years ago, she would have been a child."

"I'm not surprised. Eastern magic and Western magic can be very different. One can not remove a spell without understanding it. If Voldemort did not bother to study Eastern magic, than he would have a great deal of difficulty canceling out even the simplest of spells. The same is true in reverse of course, but for some reason, more Eastern magic practitioners seem more likely to spend some time learning the basis of Western magic than the reverse."

"That's fascinating. But Albus, a Kitsune Ninja? They're scarcely better than Werewolves! They have been called Werefoxes! And her? I've just remembered where I've heard Liska from before. She has a reputation, and it's not pretty."

"Being a magical race instead of cursed humans, they have the ability to transform into a fox at any time and therefore avoid becoming a Werefox. And even in full Werefox form there is not a single recorded incident of any Werefox attacking a child or turning another into a Werefox. The law recognizes them as capable of raising children. And what else are the Kitsune, particularly the Kekotai known for?"

"Intelligence, trickery, ruthlessness at times."

"Not quite what I was getting at."

"And the complete and utter inability to harm a child or let them come to harm. That was probably the biggest factor in their dealings with the delegation."

"Which means Harry should be completely safe with her. Some of the Kekotai can do wards that even I can not touch. Voldemort will not be able to find them, at least not without them realizing what is going on. As for her reputation, I am not completely ignorant of it. In fact, to some extent, I'm reassured. She has the will and the ability to make certain no one hurts the child. Though if you are so concerned, perhaps we could talk her into letting you take custody."

"That won't be necessary. If you are sure that the boy is safe, that is enough. Now if you will excuse me, I have a potion to finish brewing." He barely held on to his dignity with that one. As he finished speaking, he rose to leave.

"Severus? Do think about what she said." He made it out the door, realizing that whether he cared to or not, he would have little choice. Staring at his wand that was levitating in front of the door just honed in that point.

Authors Notes: Okay, first about the language. 'Baka' for those who don't know, is the Japanese word for idiot. As I'm sure some have noticed, I really haven't thrown in Japanese, or given any of the incantations for her spells. The reason why is simple. I don't really know Japanese. I know a few words or phrases in modern Japanese that I may sprinkle in from time to time, though always with a translation. But I figure her spells would probably be in Ancient Japanese or Chinese and I know neither. So I'm just going to mention what they did instead of what she said. That works, right? Secondly, yes, that is too much power for a twelve year old to do to transfigure Malfoy like that. However, Severus Snape does not have the full story. And since Liska is unlikely to tell anyone, I'll tell you here. Sakaki was the obvious caster, the one standing there yelling the spells. What she was doing was really only casting the basic spells, which is a bit advanced, but transfiguration is her specialty. There were a few adults around subtly casting spells as well to add power enough to complete the transformation and to make it last awhile. What better way to psyche out your opponent then by having the leader humiliated by a little girl who is considered inferior. Especially if when it was done they acted like adults act when a three year old hands them a picture. She does know she wasn't the one doing everything, and just because she couldn't do it then, doesn't mean she can't do it now.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the delay. I try to stay about a chapter and a half ahead of posting and the next chapter was slowing me down. Also, I got a beta reader. (Hi Mom!) Okay to answer a few reviews: First of all, I am not a Snape chaser, and this is not a Snape-centric fic. There will be times when he comes in important, and times when he is background if that just like in the real books. I may round out his character some, but he's not going to become all friendly either. Any Snape acting as a father figure will be him dragged kicking and screaming into the role. As for a Snape/Liska romance, are you reading what I'm reading? I think they'd be seriously trying to kill each other in a week. I have some ideas at least as far as Harry's fifth year and Liska is not romantically attached to anyone. If the reviewers and/or the muse demands, that may change but at the moment, romance is not a subplot. I'll warn you if that changes. I'm sorry to those who do not want me to include the Weasleys, but that's kind of important to the plot. I'll try not to make Molly too overbearing though. After all, a happy, healthy five-year old with an obviously caring guardian is not going to invoke the same feelings as a shy, abandoned-looking eleven-year old. One reviewer, who I'm pretty sure didn't finish the first chapter complained that Liska's reflecting the killing curse is a pure Mary-Sue sign. Well, she didn't. It was the fan. And the fan isn't a magical trump-all card either. Sometime I'll explain the difference between wands and fans. One last thing, since FFN keeps eating my section dividers, I'll try to replace with 8 and see if that works.

Chapter Six

Liska walked briskly out of the school and grounds. While her method of apparation was different enough from the usual British method that she might, emphasis on might, be able to apparate through typical British anti-apparation wards, especially if she was outside, it was highly risky, with a high chance of splinching. The stronger the wards, the higher the risk. Hogwarts had some of the strongest wards she had ever seen. Better not take the chance.

The walk gave her some time to think. She wasn't entirely pleased with the outcome of the talk. A lifetime of secrecy made her reluctant to share even minor secrets. At the same time though, she had also learned how vital allies could be. And allies need enough information to be effective. Albus Dumbledore was a good ally to have. She had been pretty sure that it was him when she caught his smell, but as she had only met him once a long time ago, it never hurt to double check. After all wizards had a thousand ways to change their appearance and almost as many to change their voice but they almost never thought of their smell.

He knew she was a kitsune; that was obvious. He would probably tell Severus Snape the same. Now that man was a variable. He didn't seem to have any particular fondness for Harry, admittedly had a problem with his father, but risked his life to 'save' him anyway. Of course he probably didn't realize how high the risk was. All the same, Liska made a mental note to find out what she could about him and the Weasleys before they arrived in two days.

At least he did tell her one important thing about foot prints. While she was thinking about it, she cast a charm on her shoes that should prevent them from leaving footprints and make foot steps quieter. Of course she could already walk silently on most terrains, but for the few she couldn't she would now be quieter. She'd have to cast the

same one on Harry's shoes when she got back.

By now she had gotten to the edge of the grounds. She couldn't apparate all the way to Foxfire house, not with the wards still being constructed, but she could apparate just outside of that range. She did so, and immediately noticed there was no one home.

She wasn't as panicked by this as some people might be. Koto was a cousin of hers, and was therefore raised in the same paranoid lifestyle. In fact Liska had all but told her to take Harry and run if she wasn't back by a reasonable time. She hadn't been gone more than an hour and a half, so Koto was probably nearby waiting to see if she made it back and passed on the message that it was safe to come back. In fact they probably had not left the grounds.

Liska smiled and let out a fox yowl. Most humans would not be able to distinguish that from a normal fox, but everyone in her skulk knew each other's unique voices. Sure enough, Koto and Harry emerged from the woods a few minutes later.

Harry did his best to flying tackle her. It wasn't his fault he was still too small. She'd have to teach him to pounce. He'd like that. Koto flashed her a quick hand sign asking if things were really alright. The 'or do we have to run' was left unsaid but she could feel it.

"Everything's fine. I'm back now." She answered, supposedly to Harry, but looking at Koto. She nodded slightly. "Now, how about I make some tea and tell you both everything? Can you take a break now, Koto?"

"Sure, especially if you plan on adding some of your rune wards."

"I could do that, though it may take awhile."

Harry was looking at them curiously, but didn't ask.

Both Koto and Harry were quiet as Liska made tea. Koto knew that she had turned making tea into a form of meditation and preferred silence when doing that. Harry had just been told that when Liska, 'Aunt Liska' as he usually called her, was drinking or making tea, unless it was an emergency he should be quiet until she talked first.

While Liska was not planning on turning this into a mini-meditation, she found that she did appreciate the chance to get her thoughts in order. Still, patient as they might be, they weren't going to want to wait too long for information.

Soon the tea was ready and everyone had a cup and some biscuits. "Alright, where do I begin?"

"Who was the scary man?"

Liska hid her smile. "His name is Severus Snape. He is a teacher at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school where people learn magic. That's where your parents went."

"What did he want? Do I have to go back to the Dursleys?"

"He wanted to make sure you were safe. You see, he didn't know about the Dursleys being so mean, and he didn't know anything about me. He was afraid I would hurt you, so he tried to take you and then find out about me."

"So what happened?" Koto asked.

"I talked to him and his boss Albus Dumbledore. We came to an agreement. They won't try to take you away, so you're staying with me. But they are going to have certain people come and make sure you are safe here. Severus Snape is one of them. So be polite, okay? He's also sending a relative of my mother's and her husband. Oh, I asked Severus Snape to teach me potions."

"Pochionz?"

"Potions. It's magic done in liquids. That doesn't make sense. You'll see. Okay?"

Harry nodded.

"The important thing is that no one is going to try to take you back to the Dursleys. And that you have to be polite to him and the other people who come by. The first will be coming by in a couple days. Koto, do you mind staying long enough to key them into the wards?"

"No, that's fine. Do you still want all of those wards?"

"Yes. I may have Dumbledore-_sama_ as an ally now, or at least somewhat of an ally, but there are other dangers." Both women cast discrete glances at Harry. "You're finished with your tea? Good, why don't you go play awhile?"

"I draw pictures!"

"Yes, you do that." They waited until he left.

"So what really happened?"

Liska explained quickly.

"Hmm, could have been better, but it could have been worse too. The wards will be up soon. I think if you can do two unnoticeable runes that would make my job easier. You're good at runes."

"Yeah, but they take longer. I can start now, and should be done by tomorrow afternoon. I want a few runes or wards with teeth that can be called up if needed."

"Good idea. I'll think about some good combinations while you're carving. I need to get back to work if we're to be done on time."

" Yes, I need to get started." After sending off a message for all the information that could be found on Severus Snape and the Weasleys, Liska walked outside, found two good sized rocks that were hard enough, and went back inside for her carving tools. The trick with runes is that they only work as long as the rune is intact. Therefore, the rune had to be put on something very durable, and spelling something durable often interfered with the rune. If she used wood, it would be easier to carve, but it would also decay. By using rock, it would be difficult to carve, but it would also last for a very long time. The nice thing about runes is that they often worked well together. So Liska decided to use one Western rune and one Eastern. The two should complement each other, instead of fighting.

After she was done, she would probably bury them in the yard. It's hard to destroy something you can't find.

888

Liska wasn't the only one who wanted more information about new allies. Albus Dumbledore was currently working on finding out everything he could about Liska or Sakaki. He remembered her mother, a fairly promising student in transfiguration and charms. He had been shocked when the girl married a Kitsune and moved to Japan so suddenly. Yes, he had been somewhat apprehensive too. The Kekotai had a reputation that even Voldemort was wary of. Albus had of course been aware of Sakaki's birth not too long after Ann Prewitt moved. He wasn't sure any one else knew of her existence.

Sakaki had been invited to attend Hogwarts; he remembered sending the message himself. They tried sending it in English and Japanese just in case she couldn't read one. Her birthday was in October so she would have been a little older than the average student. Because she was in the unique position of being invited to two magical institutions, she actually took a tour of them both before choosing which one.

In fact, he should have it in his pensieve. He rummaged around for a moment before finding it. Yes, there it was.

_Headmaster Dumbledore welcomed his former student and her daughter to the school. Ann, he was pleased to note, seemed happy and well. She had been depressed most of her seventh year, after the death of her older brother, Andrew. He always suspected that that was one of the reasons she left the country so impulsively. At least she was happy now and she had a daughter who resembled her to a good extent. _

_The girl was tiny; she would probably always be small side. Her hair was slightly more orange than her mother's auburn. The eyes were copper, very different from her mother's blue. But she had the same high cheekbones, the same slight nose, and most obviously, the same smile. The girl looked bright and energetic._

"_Headmaster, it is delightful to see you again! This is my daughter, Sakaki. Sakaki, this is Headmaster Dumbledore." Ann introduced._

_Sakaki smiled excitedly and bowed respectfully._

_Dumbledore smiled and bowed back. "Hello Sakaki, how are you today?"_

_Sakaki lost a bit of her smile and looked to her mother who sighed. "Sakaki, why don't you go explore a little, don't go far." As soon as the girl scampered off, Ann turned to a confused headmaster. "She doesn't talk. Not really. She can. She knows how. She just doesn't. Not for almost a year now. It's a bit of a long story. I'm blaming Sejou. He wanted her to know as many languages as she could. So ever since she was a baby, he worked on stuffing languages down her throat. By her tenth birthday she was so confused that she couldn't do a sentence without using at least three languages. She's so embarrassed about that, and no one understands her, so she stopped talking. She understands almost everything said to her, but she doesn't trust herself to talk. Well, not to most people. We're making progress on straightening everything out. I'm sure by the time she's ready for school she'll be fine."_

"_I see. I'm sorry to hear that. If I may ask, what are you doing to help her?"_

"_We have a few people who we've recruited into helping. They each know one of the languages that she's been taught and speak to her always and only in that language. She spends at least an hour with each per week. That and reading help her keep track of what words, and what grammar goes to what language. She will speak to her closest cousin, Kira, the daughter of my husband's identical twin brother. Kira will be going to Kinamaya. So, please don't be offended, but I'm reasonably sure that Sakaki will decide to do the same, unless she finds a really good reason for coming to Hogwarts."_

"_Did your husband attend Kinamaya?"_

"_No, Sejou actually does not have the magical aptitude required to cast spells. He can do some, being of a magical race, but not enough to go to school."_

"_I see. Would your husband prefer she attend Kinamaya?"_

"_He would, but wants her to make up her own mind so he won't say so."_

_Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "And yourself?"_

"_My own feelings are mixed. I would like it if she went to my old school of course. And I know that Hogwarts is a wonderful school. But Kinamaya is also a great school, a lot closer, and she has family attending there now. Besides, we've been trying to give her a bit a head start in learning, she's usually slow to begin, but with enough practice she can get really good, and wand magic is not her best area."_

"_Oh?"_

"_Unfortunately, she does even worse in traditional Japanese magic, but there is another form that she does show potential in, fan magic."_

"_I always understood that if one could use a fan for magic, one could use a wand."_

"_And she could, to an extent. However, I will buy you a year's supply of lemon drops if she could find a wand to suit her in Ollivander's. Her spells wouldn't be as strong either with a wand."_

"_We might be able to arrange for her to use a fan instead of a wand here."_

"_You want to deal with a bunch of children wanting to know why she has something they don't? Besides, Hogwarts has never had to deal with a Kitsune before. How would people react? Especially in these times? Kinamaya is gets about ten per year or so. She wouldn't be as unusual there."_

"_So you have heard of our unpleasantness. I figured as much."_

"_That's not something I'm overly worried about. Well, maybe some. By any standards you'd care to use, Sakaki is a half-blood, but I also know that my husband has been working with her for her whole life on how to deal with people like that. But she still has trouble when dealing with children her own age. Also, they wouldn't know what to make of her here."_

"_Then why are you considering Hogwarts at all, if you see so many disadvantages?"_

"_As I am constantly reminded, 'Everything has advantages and disadvantages. Do your best to find out what they are before making up your mind.' Sakaki wants to do that. Speaking of which, we'd better make sure she isn't getting into trouble."_

_ Sakaki was with Hagrid actually, helping him with the Thestrals. Dumbledore noted with some dismay that she appeared to be able to see them clearly. Even he had never tried to_ _pet one. _

"_Can she see…?" He started to ask._

"_Yes. She can. I doubt you want to know."_

_Dumbledore gave them a tour of the school, Sakaki was looking around excitedly at everything. While she remained silent, she seemed bright and cheerful. Occasionally she would make some signs to her mother who would translate a question. Some of those questions were fairly insightful. In fact after they left, he ended up rethinking the ward schematics, and coming up with a better one, based off of a question she asked._

_It was summer, so there weren't any students. There weren't even many teachers. They had the castle almost entirely to themselves. He was pleased to note that she didn't seem surprised or afraid of the ghosts, and even borrowed her mother's wand and whispered a spell on Peeves after he dropped mud on them. Peeves looked rather interesting in pink and purple plaid._

"_It looks to me like she can use a wand just fine."_

"_Except for the fact that she was trying to do something else. I recognize the spell she was trying. It was supposed to cover him in mud that would not come off no matter what he tried until the spell was lifted. She can't even see in color, so it wouldn't occur to her to change his color."_

"_Ah, interesting that this happened instead."_

"_Yes." _

_Sakaki seemed to like the school and she certainly didn't seem shy despite lack of speech. She greeted the few people they ran into politely, if silently. She also skipped ahead of them more than a few times. At one point, she stopped, sniffed the air, than darted down a side corner. Puzzled, the adults followed quickly. Sakaki was staring intently at a cupboard. When they caught up, she looked at them and then back to the cupboard._

"_What is it, Kitsie?"_

_Sakaki made a slight face at the endearment, and then sighed in frustration before thinking carefully. Finally, she spoke. "Boggart." She had a nice voice, even if it was obviously seldom used. It was refined for an eleven year old, with a British accent, interestingly enough. But that was probably what she picked up from learning English from her mother. She was also unsure._

"_There's a boggart in there?" Ann asked._

_Sakaki nodded; relieved she had said it right._

"_You smelled it?" Dumbledore asked. She nodded again. "I see. Thank you. I'll be sure to deal with it promptly."_

_She smiled and bowed slightly. _

_They continued to his office. "Would either of you young ladies like a lemon drop?"_

"_Not for me, thank you." Ann answered. Sakaki looked at the lemon drop and then to her mother. "You may have one."_

_Sakaki's grin got wider and she took one, again giving a slight bow. _

_Dumbledore and Ann discussed a few practical matters, before Dumbledore looked up to see what Sakaki was doing. Sakaki was playing with Fawkes. He hadn't even realized it was possible to play with a phoenix. Fawkes looked happy enough though._

"_I thought that Kitsune generally didn't do that well with animals?"_

_ "Not ones with a strong sense of smell, usually. Thestrals don't have a good sense of smell,_ _well, not a complex sense of smell like a hunting predator would have, the scent of fox is fairly subtle, and I imagine you've told Fawkes about her, and being your familiar, he's not reacting badly to her."_

"_I see. Yes, that is probably the case."_

"_If we weren't here, she might even talk to him. It's only around most people she won't talk."_

"_I do hope you manage to work through that."_

"_I'm sure it will be fine. Though she might be a bit shy her first year regardless."_

"_Not surprising. Sudden changes can do that to people."_

"_She's adaptable, very resilient. I'm sure wherever she ends up, she'll be fine."_

"_I wish you both the best in this difficult decision. I have visited Kinamaya once. I prefer Hogwarts, of course, but I'm biased. It is a good school, and as you say, wherever she goes, she'll be well trained."_

Albus removed himself from the memory then. Nothing else of importance had happened. He hadn't recognized her when she walked in today, but it had been eight years, and he hadn't been expecting her at all.

Besides, she had changed, a lot. Sakaki was obviously full of joy of living and could barely hold still. She was a playful thing who, despite being silent, was intelligent, helpful, and always looking for fun.

Liska was much more reserved. Not just the reservation of an adult, but the reservation of one who's taught themselves to hide their thoughts and emotions. While he hadn't tried to read her mind at all, he could almost see her cloaked in secrecy. She was also much more forceful, exhibited by her willingness to kill Severus when she believed

him a threat, and her veiled threat to take Harry and run.

She had yelled at him. No one had yelled at him in a long time. Sakaki would not have tried that. Liska was willing to. Though in her defense, he had deserved it. She also spoke lightly of fighting evil. Yet it was not the light speaking of one who had never done it, and therefore did not know what they were talking about. It was the light speaking of one who had done it too many times and spoke lightly to keep sane.

Liska had briefly mentioned having suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He grieved briefly at the thought of the young, cheerful girl suffering some trauma severe enough for that. But even at eleven she could see Thestrals. He was extremely curious as to who she had been referring to that she had stopped from performing the ritual of Black Night Ascension. She said she hadn't performed any spells illegal in this country, but how could she have stopped him in that case? Had she killed whoever it was? Could he blame her if she had? He decided to leave that one alone for now.

Liska's reputation did include a few deaths. He hadn't realized until today that Sakaki and Liska were the same person, and had, like probably everyone else who knew of her, suspected her to be in her thirties or so, certainly not nineteen. Those she was said to have killed were generally considered irredeemably evil by most, and all had or were attempting to kill. Then again, her job was much like that of an auror. She might not have a legal license for what she did, but the Kekotai Ninjas were recognized as legal enforcement, of a sort, and were therefore not held by quite the same laws… usually. That was providing they got caught, of course, which seldom happened.

He did owe her for fixing his mistake with Harry. Who knew what might have happened if she hadn't noticed a problem. That was another road he didn't want to travel down. Which left one more road that he was really reluctant to think about.

What would happen to Harry being raised by Liska? She wouldn't hurt him. He was sure of that. It was fairly well known that the Kekotai's first rule was that you cut off your own hand before you harm a child. She would kill or die to protect him. Albus had no doubt of that. But the steps she would take to keep him safe…

Would it just be repeating the cycle? Taking a bright, cheerful, trusting child, and turning them into a paranoid and suspicious fighter? Then again, was there any way Harry could manage anything else? He was prophesied as the only one who could defeat Voldemort. Kill or be killed. Would he be able to survive any other way? Liska would undoubtedly try to give Harry every advantage she could for the fight. He'd learn more from her than anywhere else, but it would mean losing some measure of innocence. But if it was his innocence or his life…? Albus forced himself to stop. He had agreed to let him stay with Liska. There was no use in second guessing himself now. All he could do was watch and make sure everything worked out as alright as he could manage. Besides, removing Harry now would probably be cruel to both of them.

While he knew it was invading privacy somewhat he felt he had to know. While Liska was in his office he had gotten a good look at her magical signature. He searched for it now. It was similar to scrying except that in and of itself, this would only tell him approximately where she was, not show him her. It was difficult to find. She had taken many precautions. There were perhaps only a small handful of wizards who could track down that signature, and then only if they knew it well. Albus was one of them. He used that to slip past her anti-scrying wards and see in. With a little more energy, he would be able to hear. He would be tired later but perhaps it would be worth it.

Apparently he had good timing. She was sitting at what appeared to be a kitchen table, carving a rock, when Harry ran in. Albus was somewhat reassured simply by the enthusiasm the child was showing.

"Aunty Liska! I drew a picture for you!"

Liska smiled, put the rock aside, and drew the boy onto her lap. "You did? Wonderful. Tell me all about it."

"There's you and there's me, inside Foxfire house, and over there are the Dursleys. They can't find us because they're mean, and you said mean people can't get in."

"That's right. They can't. It's a wonderful picture. Thank you."

"You'll put it in your frame?"

"Of course."

"What's this?" Harry started to pick up one of her tools.

"Don't touch those. They're sharp. You could hurt yourself. They're tools. I'm using them to carve this rock."

"Why?"

"Because I'm making a rune."

"What's a rune?"

"It's a magical symbol, like a picture that means something. It's another way of using magic. I make this symbol, and turn it on, it will do something. This one makes it harder for people to see the house."

"People like the Dursleys and the scary man?"

"Like the Dursleys. And man will be coming back, but it will be harder for people like him to find us."

"Can I help?"

"Not this time, Kiddo. I don't want you cutting yourself on these."

"What will it look like?"

"Do you have more paper?"

Harry squirmed off her lap and ran out of view, appearing a minute later with a sketchpad and pencils.

"Perfect." Liska took a few minutes to sketch something. "It will look like that when it's done."

"Oh. I try?"

"You can try." Liska picked up a tool to go back to carving. Harry showed her his copy a few minutes later. "Wow, that's pretty good. You may want to study runes when you're older." She stopped a minute. "Koto did give you lunch, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hmm. You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think I hear some biscuits in the cupboard calling our names. Do you hear them?"

"Yeah!"

"What's the rule about yelling?"

"It hurts your ears, so I should only do it when I'm in trouble or need help or you're far away?"

"Right."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Let's see if we can find those biscuits. Listen carefully." Liska mock-stalked about the room, Harry following her, giggling intensely while imitating her to the best of his ability. Even Albus was chuckling a little. Suddenly Liska made a swift half-turn and opened a cupboard. "Ah-ha! We've found them! Now, we pounce." The both made pouncing motions; Liska's hand's landing on the biscuits. Harry wasn't tall enough to reach. "A successful hunt. Two for you, two for me. Would you like some milk?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, some milk with our biscuits. Watch this." She used a green fan to magically move some milk from the container to two cups on the table. Harry clapped appreciatively.

"So, we have everything?"

"Story?" Harry asked.

"A story? You want a story?" Liska over-acted astonishment, once again reducing Harry to helpless giggles. "Very well. A story. What kind of story?"

"One of your stories. From your land."

"A Japanese fairy tale?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, let me think…" Albus drew the spell to a close. It was invading their privacy, but for the peace of mind it granted him, he couldn't be sorry. In fact if it wasn't for how draining the spell was, he probably would have kept it up longer. But it was up long enough to tell him what he needed to know.

Liska would not be a perfect guardian, no one was; but she had Harry's best interests in mind. Harry was happy with her, and she seemed happy with him. He already preferred her over his relatives. Though considering what he had seen, Harry would probably prefer Severus Snape over his relatives. Severus Snape might be a bit scary, Albus chuckled at that, but he took child abuse very seriously, and would never keep a child in a cupboard. Albus still grew furious at that thought. However, it was over now, and Harry seemed to be recovering.

Watching Harry and Liska play very much reassured him. The Dursleys didn't seem the type to play with him. Off the top of his head, he wouldn't have assumed Liska would either. But she did. When she did, Albus found it extremely easy to see the silent yet friendly eleven year old Sakaki. She hadn't disappeared entirely, she merely only came out when it was safe. One way or another, Harry would be alright. At least he would have a childhood, however strange it might be.

Now he had the Order of the Phoenix to inform. He wouldn't tell them where Harry was or with who, except for the Weasleys, of course. It was safer that way. They would probably be upset, or at least some would be. After all the trouble when Harry disappeared and then when he found out how unfit the Dursleys were to be guardians, most would want to make doubly sure nothing like that would happen again. But the fewer people who knew; the less chance of the wrong person finding out. Not to mention Liska would be furious if he compromised her security, and an angry Liska was scarier than all of the Order combined.

He then took a moment to reconcile that angry, willing to kill ninja, with the nineteen year old, playful woman with a frame full of children's drawings and who stalked biscuits. It was another few minutes before he could leave the room. Fawkes was staring at him quite oddly. He usually remembered to breathe when he laughed.

888

"Thank you all for coming at such short notice. I have important information." Albus greeted the Order.

"Is it about Harry?" asked a somewhat distraught and hopeful looking Remus Lupin. Albus purposely did not wince. Remus had never been the same since the Potter's death. He was going to want to be one of the watchers. He had been begging Albus for years to let him even just see Harry. To find out that he was being watched by a Kitsune, someone so like a Werewolf but actually able to have guardianship of a child… Even without the instinctive antagonism between wolves and foxes, the idea might just break him. So as much as Remus wanted to know, and as much as Albus wanted to tell him, he wouldn't.

"It is. He's been found, and he is perfectly safe." There were numerous sighs and sounds of relief.

"Where is he now?" asked Minerva.

"The same place he was yesterday. My investigation of the Dursleys proved that I made a mistake to leave him with them. Yes, Minerva, you were right, and this new guardian is a much safer person."

"A woman, right? She part of the order?" Moody asked.

"It is a woman. She is not part of the Order, nor do I think she will be, but I have little doubt she will be an ally."

"How do we know she is any better than the Dursleys?" Molly Weasley asked.

"She has agreed to allow certain people who both she and I can trust to make scheduled and unscheduled visits to make certain that Harry is safe." There was a cacophony then. "Yes, I'm sure all of you would volunteer. At this point, there will only be a few chosen for security's sake. Also, for the same reason, I will not say who they are, and ask that those who I ask to visit also remain silent about it."

"Have you asked them yet?" Remus asked.

"I have asked one person so far. There will be more. And perhaps, as we get more secure, we can add a few more people to the list."

There was some other business, but nothing major. Severus confirmed that a low level death eater had died recently under somewhat questionable circumstances. At the moment, no one was that concerned. Albus had a feeling that was important, but wasn't sure why. He decided to remember it for now. Maybe he'd figure it out later.

Albus managed to send a message to Arthur and Molly Weasley that he wanted to talk to them before closing the meeting. He then managed to slip away before being ambushed by questions.

The Weasley's were waiting outside his office. He let them in. After offering them both a lemon drop, which they refused, he got down to business. "I would like to ask the two of you to be on the list of watchers."

They looked at each other. "We're flattered, really. But why us?" Molly asked.

"Will you swear to keep Harry Potter's location and the identity of his guardian a secret?"

"Yes." "Of course."

"Molly, how well did you know your second cousin, Ann?"

"Ann? Well, she was about five years older than me, and we weren't very closely related, but I knew her. We were in the same house. I remember comforting her when Andrew died. And she came back from Japan when Gideon and Fabian died, to help me. She had a child then. She married a Kitsune, didn't she? Yes, her daughter had furry ears and a tail. We don't usually correspond though. Why?"

"Because her daughter is Harry's guardian."

Molly sat down. Arthur took only a second longer. Albus explained most of what happened. He toned down Liska's reaction to Severus. He told them that she went by Liska. They wouldn't know of her reputation. He did tell them she was a ninja, and he showed them his memories of scrying on them.

The two took a minute to talk. "We would be honored to be among Harry's watchers." Arthur said.

"Sakaki is barely more than a girl herself. She'll need the help. Harry is about our Ron's age. It would be good for both of them to have friends their own age." Molly added.

"Excellent. Severus is going over to teach Liska about potions in two days at one o'clock. If you could go with him then, they will be able to key you into the wards."

They left soon after. Albus stayed awhile after they left, but after a little bit of paperwork, he decided to leave for dinner. He was halfway there when he ran into the person he had most wanted to avoid, Remus Lupin.

Author's Notes.

Believe it or not, I really do like Lupin, I'm just being mean to him for awhile. Next chapter: more being mean to Lupin, a potions Lesson, and some Snape bashing.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, normally I try to be a chapter and a half a head, but between computer problems and finals, I've been a bit busy. Sorry about that. So even though I'm only half-way through with the next chapter, I'm posting this one. Sorry about the delay. I'm sure lot's of reviews will help me do better on my finals. Okay, to relieve a few fears, the Weasley parents show up in this chapter, then fade to the background for a few more chapters (I think). And due to reader requests, Ron will not be the first wizarding child he meets. But that's another chapter.

Chapter Seven

Remus Lupin was the textbook definition of a broken man. Even Snape seemed to pity him. For a year Remus had been mad about that. The next he couldn't work up the energy to be mad, or for a confrontation, but had still been upset over it. Now he couldn't work up the energy to even care. Today, against his will, memories assailed him.

It was the final days of the Dark Lord's reign (though they obviously didn't know that at the time). Harry was about a year old, and an absolute delight to everyone. Sirius was over practically every day. Remus and Peter couldn't come that often but they came when they could. Even in the midst of tragedy there was happiness in Godric's Hollow. It was then that Dumbledore asked Remus to take a job.

Dumbledore was getting more and more concerned about where the Werewolves would stand, either with or against Voldemort. It would mean doing a lot of traveling, which meant not being around as often. Remus didn't like that part of it much but was mature enough to admit that this was important. He also felt that he owed Dumbledore much more than he could ever repay. For this reason he would do this.

Then Dumbledore made him promise not to tell anyone, not even the Marauders. Not even Lily. Remus really didn't like this part. Especially since he was a lousy liar, at least to those who knew him well. As he had to spend more and more time away, with shaky, unbelievable excuses, it became obvious that the friendship was being strained. Considering that these were the only friends he had ever had in his entire life, Remus was understandably depressed by this. But he kept going, and kept sane by reminding himself that the job would be over soon, and then he could tell them everything. They'd be a little mad he hadn't told them earlier, but they would understand, right?

Then, the last week of October, he disappeared into a Werewolf colony and lost all contact with the outside world for a week. He was somewhat less successful than he thought he would be and ended up with several minor, a few moderate, and one major injury. He dragged himself to Hogwarts November 2nd and basically collapsed at the gate. Remus didn't regain consciousness again for two days.

McGonagall was there when he woke up. He found that odd, but was too busy trying to give his report. His former Head of House cut him off, telling him it wasn't necessary, You-know-who had been defeated. Remus felt a leap of joy before realizing that she seemed sad. He asked her about this and spent a long time wishing he hadn't.

The Marauders were gone. James and Lily were dead. Peter was dead. Sirius was a traitor. And Albus had hidden Harry. Remus would have sworn that his heart literally broke as she told him. Once she filled him in, she left. 'To let him absorb it' she said. Really it was so she wouldn't see him cry. Whether that was for her sake, his sake, or both was still in question.

Back in his school days it would have taken another two days to heal enough to leave the hospital wing. But then back in his school days he had somewhere better to go. Remus did not leave for a week and a half. He only left then because he decided to ask (alright, beg) Dumbledore to tell him where Harry was. Even if he couldn't have guardianship, Werewolves couldn't get guardianship of children; he could perhaps still see him once in a while. He'd even be willing to see Harry without Harry seeing him, if his guardians objected to a Werewolf hanging around.

He asked a number of times over the years. Dumbledore always refused. Each time Remus told himself to hold on to his dignity, and find something else to revolve his life around. And each time after a few months, he'd come up empty and ask again.

It wasn't that he didn't try to find a purpose for himself, but everything felt so cold and empty. He had a brief period of his life in which he had more than he had ever expected since becoming a Werewolf. He had friends, he had school, and he had a purpose. It spoiled him. He couldn't deal with isolation and prejudice anymore. Apathy and depression seemed like permanent house guests.

It was horrible to even think it, but in many ways, Harry's disappearance was a good thing for Remus. It gave him a bit of life, a sense of purpose, a reason to actually get out of bed in the morning. He hated himself for feeling almost grateful that something, anything, had happened to pull him from the gray fog he had trudged through for the past four years. He would however, much rather continue to be depressed and have Harry safe, then have Harry in danger, even if it did give him something to do.

He also had a barely half-formed wish that he would be the one to find Harry and that Dumbledore would change his mind and allow him, if not guardianship, at least visitation rights. Well, he hadn't been the one to find Harry, he idly wondered who had, but he had a good chance for visitation rights. Dumbledore even said that people would be visiting to keep an eye on things. Who more qualified than the boy's father's last surviving friend? Well, surviving and sane friend.

So he stayed after the meeting looking for a chance to talk to Dumbledore. He had slipped out early, and quite frankly Remus wasn't sure where he was. But if he stayed long enough, Albus would have to show up sooner or later.

There he was! "Headmaster, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment?"

"Certainly, Remus. I was just on my way to dinner. Will you join me?" It was subtle, but Remus could tell that Dumbledore didn't really want to talk to him. He wasn't surprised. Dumbledore hadn't wanted to talk to him since that mission four years ago. It was probably because Remus was making a pest of himself asking to see Harry.

"I will, thank you." Dumbledore undoubtedly knew what he wanted, but it wouldn't hurt to put it in the best way he could. They waited until they were almost done and no one was around before Remus finally got down to it. "I've been thinking. You said that you would have people visit to make sure Harry and his guardian were alright. Who better then his father's close friend? I can tell Harry stories about his parents that few others could. It would mean so much to me. Please Headmaster; please put me on that list."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "Remus, I wish I could. I really do. However, I cannot. I am afraid I cannot even tell you why I can't."

"It's because I'm a Werewolf."

Dumbledore said nothing.

Remus swallowed his disappointment, stronger each time, and excused himself before he could break down sobbing in front of the Headmaster. He had no idea that Dumbledore felt much the same way.

888

Liska was in the middle of exercising when Koto called her to tell her she had a call. From the tone, and the fact that only her family in Japan had communication spheres, Liska decided that exercising could wait.

"Mother? Hello. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. But you did want to know about Molly, right?"

"Yes. Did you know here very well?"

"Reasonably so. I'd say you could probably give her at least moderate level trust. One thing I did want to warn you about, she's very much the mothering type."

"That isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm not much of the mothering type, and Harry could probably use it."

"That may be, but don't be surprised if she tries to mother you as well."

"Me? I'm an adult. And a ninja!"

"You are also young, on the slight side, and family. You'll be lucky if she feels you can feed yourself."

"I can cook."

"I know that. You know that. I'm just warning you. I'm sure someone will give you a full report, but I thought that actually knowing her, I could add a little. So, when can I come and visit my honorary grandson?"

"Honorary grandson? Oh heavens, I'm not old enough to be a mother. But you are welcome to come and visit whenever you like. Would Father be coming as well?"

"I don't know. He didn't seem quite as interested. But I would like to come at some point. Maybe in a few weeks. It would be nice to see England again. I haven't been since you toured Hogwarts."

"Speaking of Hogwarts, I went there today. I had a very interesting talk with Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Oh dear. Should I ask?"

"It was civil. Not a single curse was cast, and I didn't throw any knives. I did end up threatening one of his teachers at sword point but that was beforehand. And it was completely justifiable."

"Define justifiable."

"He was trying to kidnap Harry."

"And you **just **threatened him?"

"It wasn't his fault, he thought I was dangerous. He's going to teach me potions now."

"Oh. That's good, I think. You're sure it's safe to learn about poisons from someone you recently threatened to kill?"

They both laughed at that. "If I let down my guard that far, I deserve what I get. Besides, not all potions are poisonous."

"This potions teacher, by any chance, is his name Slughorn?"

"No, Snape. Why?"

"Hmm, Professor Slughorn must have retired then. If Minerva McGonagall is still the transfiguration teacher, she's one of the best Transfiguration Masters in England. I know you enjoy transfiguration."

"I don't know if she is still there or not. We really didn't see many people."

The talk continued a while longer before they hung up. Liska was left wondering whether or not she was slightly apprehensive about the upcoming potions lesson and meeting the Weasleys.

888

While Liska was not sure whether or not she was looking forward to her potions lesson, Snape had no such doubts. First of all, he wasn't overly fond of teaching in the first place, let alone doing it over the summer. Secondly, he was not looking forward to being there with the Weasleys. Molly could be rather intimidating in her own way. Third, he didn't really want to be in the presence of the Potter boy or his hyper-protective guardian.

At least she actually wanted to learn potions. That implied that she would probably put effort into it that most of his students lacked. Plus she was an adult. That was both an advantage and a disadvantage. She wasn't a child or teenager, both age groups he had some difficulty with, and he could hope she'd be sensible, which was good. But he could not use his usual teaching methods or take house points either. Also he had a feeling if he insulted her too much, she might well just turn him into a newt. () For obvious reasons, Severus Snape did not wish to spend the rest of his days, or even a few of them, trapped in the body of a lizard or even worse, like what Lucius Malfoy looked like when she had gotten through with him.

However he had already agreed to do this, mostly because Albus told him to. Albus was obviously trying to mend fences or however it went. Easy for him, he wasn't the one who had nearly been killed by a ninja trying to rival Moody for paranoia.

All in all, Severus Snape was not at his cheeriest, if he could ever be said to be such, when he went to meet the Weasley's before leading them to Liska. Meeting the Weasleys at Hogsmede and then taking the bus to Coron Way, Snape felt a headache begin to develop even before they got to the house. Having only been there once, and being too distracted to remember the magical energy of the place, Snape couldn't apparate there, and the Weasleys had never been.

The wards had obviously been improved. He wasn't even sure he had found the right place at all before the other woman, Koto?, came out to key them in. Then he could see he was indeed at the right place.

Liska and Harry were also waiting outside, and introductions were promptly made all around. The lesson was delayed while they were given a tour of the place and tea. Much small talk was exchanged, leaving Severus bored. Did he really care that Liska was offering to help Molly's eldest with runes? Or that Molly was more than willing to have Liska and the child over for dinner whenever they wanted to come? She probably didn't think Liska capable. He considered himself extremely fortunate that this was the only time he would need to visit at the same time as the Weasleys.

Finally tea was over, and Liska asked if the Weasleys wanted to watch Harry while she took her lesson as Koto had gone out for awhile to get some supplies. They fortunately agreed and Liska led Severus to a part of the study she had converted into a space for potions making. He was surprised and pleased to see that she had done some research into the area and was fully stocked in all common potions ingredients and more than a few uncommon ones. He also noticed she had a posted chart of common reactions potions ingredients caused when introduced to each other. She might not blow up the house after all.

This was going to be different then teaching a full class. He decided to take advantage of the fact he only had one student to tailor his lessons to. "Have you ever brewed a potion before?"

"Yes. I haven't done many different kinds, but I have done some. Mostly I do a few healing potions."

"What is the most complicated potion you have done?"

"I did a successful Draught of the Living Death, but only once. It was only the basic version, but we were in a bit of a hurry."

He raised an eyebrow. "That is a rather complex and strong potion. What would you need it for in a hurry?"

"I assume the Headmaster informed you of… my previous profession?"

"I had heard the name. I know enough."

"I and another of my… clan were infiltrating a muggle underworld ring." At his look of confusion she clarified. "Gangsters? They trafficked in illegal goods, extortion, and murder. Anyway, the leader became aware that someone was investigating on the inside but couldn't be sure who. My comrade and I talked it over and decided that since he had been there longer and was more firmly entrenched in the system, his position was more valuable. So I made the potion, while he planted evidence that I was the guilty party, neither of us had been so careless as to leave evidence before, and presented the evidence to the leader, asking permission to deal with the problem. After getting said permission, we hoped the potion was made right, and I took it."

"So you were believed to be poisoned?"

"Oh no, this leader would not be interested in poisons. He wanted to see blood. He probably would have preferred to see me shot, but that's a bit harder to fake well, so we didn't do that. After I feel asleep, my partner stabbed me, being careful to miss the heart and only knick the aorta. Lot's of blood, little damage. After that, it was pretty easy to convince the rest I was dead, and we smuggled what we needed out in my coffin. I woke up two days later with only some soreness, and a slight anemia."

Severus was blinking incredulously at her at the end of this story. He hadn't understood everything she had mentioned but he thought he understood enough. Could he ever talk calmly about people faking his death and smuggling things out in his coffin? He brushed it aside. It didn't matter. He had a lesson to teach.

"Very well, and what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Your final magic exams are called N.E.W.T.S, right? I would like to achieve enough competency to at least pass those."

"I see. And the healing potions you usually make?"

After a few more questions, he decided that she was probably between a second and third year level, though she could make some more advanced potions if necessary. Today they worked on a moderate-level difficulty potion that was a swelling potion. Potter did come by at one point. Severus was not happy about that but Liska, after making sure nothing they had done yet was volatile, showed the boy the caldron explaining that this was a potion. Potter called it liquid magic.

About then they had to throw in some spider's legs making the potion a tad more dangerous. She sent him from the room suggesting he show Mr. and Mrs. Weasley his play room. While he rolled his eyes slightly at that, Severus was glad the child left.

The potion, miracle of miracles, ended up the right color and mostly the right consistency. She could follow directions it appeared. She wasn't a natural and certainly didn't have a gift for potions like he did, but she could be competent enough to brew almost anything with enough effort and a good teacher. Well she had a teacher and she was studying interactions on her own, so this might work out after all.

Harry decided very early on that he really liked living in Foxfire House. It was nicer than the hotel because it was theirs, and he could go almost anywhere he liked. He liked having his own bedroom, with bunk beds and his secret cave. That was much better than the cupboard under the stairs. He liked watching the animals on his wall play tag as he went to sleep or woke up. He liked having his own toys that no one ever took away from him. And he really liked the fact that there were no Dursleys there.

Aunt Liska was much more fun than any of the Dursleys ever were. Aunt Koto was nice too, but she was usually so busy that he couldn't play much with her. Aunt Liska would always encourage him to ask questions, something the Dursleys never did. The Dursleys always wanted him quiet and out of the way. Aunt Liska wanted to know where he was and what he was doing. Aunt Liska was always teaching him something new. The Dursleys were also very boring compared to Aunt Liska and Aunt Koto. Yesterday Aunt Liska had been making biscuits with Harry, when Aunt Koto walked in and said something teasingly about Aunt Liska's cooking. Aunt Liska made a face and threw some flour at her. Aunt Koto threw some back and it hit Harry. In a few minutes the kitchen looked like a snow storm hit it and everyone was laughing too hard to do anymore. Finally Aunt Koto said a lot of strange words and the flour disappeared and she went back to doing wards, while they went back to baking. Aunt Koto came back later and tried to sneak away with some of the freshly baked biscuits until Aunt Liska threatened to make her do dishes. Harry tried to imagine the Dursleys doing that. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

The biscuits ended up being used today when he met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the scary man again. The scary man didn't talk much, Harry noticed. Mrs. Weasley did talk a lot though. She seemed nice. She said that she had a son about his age. Aunt Liska said that someday they would go over and Harry could meet him. Harry just hoped he wasn't like Dudley. Mr. Weasley also seemed nice, but Harry thought it was strange that instead of being interested in magical parts of the house, he was fascinated by the boring parts. Mrs. Weasley had to practically drag him away from Aunt Liska's writing desk where he was studying her notebooks and pens and the lamp. Normally Aunt Liska had her com-put-er there, but she moved it before everyone came. Despite being a bit strange, the Weasleys seemed nice, so Harry wasn't too worried when he was left alone with them.

Just like he hoped, they were still nice even when Aunt Liska wasn't there. They did seem to look at his forehead a number of times which confused Harry but he decided it was just another one of those strange things grown-ups sometimes did. "Want to see my toys?"

"We'd love to, dearie." Mrs. Weasley said. So Harry showed them his castle with knights and a dragon, his flying dragon, his color-change wand, and his Spider-man action figure. He was most impressed by the flying dragon and the wand, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed more interested in his Lego set and the action figure. Mr. Weasley wanted to know how the castle was set up, and he and Harry had a battle between the two dragons. The flying dragon seemed almost sad that the other dragon didn't move. Mrs. Weasley just smiled and watched, even when Harry offered to let her play with Spider-man.

After a while, Harry decided he wanted to see the liquid magic Aunt Liska had told him about. "I go see Aunt Liska." Harry said suddenly. Aunt Liska almost always let him see what she was doing, so he slipped in to see the liquid magic she had talked about.

"Hey sweetie, here to see the potion?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, come here." She lifted him up to show him. It looked weird. Harry reached forward to touch it. Aunt Liska stepped back. "No Harry, don't touch it. In fact, don't put your hand in any liquid if you don't know what it is unless someone you trust tells you it's safe. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Hey, why don't you go show Mr. and Mrs. Weasley your playroom?"

"And draw pictures?"

"That's fine."

"Okay."

Harry had brought his toys downstairs to show them to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but Aunt Liska didn't like toys on the floor where someone could trip on them and get hurt, so Harry decided to take them upstairs with him. He could carry Spider-man, the dragons and the wand without any problems, but he couldn't carry the castle and the knights as easily. Fortunately, Mr. Weasley was willing to help. He waved a stick and said something funny and the castle and knights started to float. Harry stared for a moment before smiling. "Is that magic?"

"Yes it is. Hasn't Liska or Koto done something like this before?" Mr. Weasley seemed confused.

"Yes, but they don't use sticks."

"Oh, what do they use?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Aunt Liska uses her fan, and Aunt Koto says a lot of funny words while doing things with her hands."

By this time, they had reached the attic. Harry put his toys away and showed them his art corner.

"Amazing. Simply amazing, the things muggles come up with. What is this?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"My crayons. I use them to color. Like this. You want to color?" Mr. Weasley did want to color. After a little while of shaking her head and smiling, Mrs. Weasley joined them.

Harry drew three pictures; one for each of the visiting adults. He drew the castle and dragon for Mr. Weasley, a picture of flowers and sunlight for Mrs. Weasley; and a picture of liquid magic for the scary man. Harry liked that one. It had rainbows in it. He hoped that the scary man would like it too. For some reason, Harry just could not remember his name.

Before they left, he gave each of them their picture. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiled and thanked him for the picture. The scary man just looked at it, making a strange face, before Aunt Liska whapped him in the back of his head with her fan. He glared at her, and she glared back.

"When someone gives you something, isn't it polite to thank them?" Aunt Liska asked the scary man but she had a tone like one Aunt Petunia sometime had. Like someone who was expecting a certain answer.

"Thank you, Potter." The scary man said, though he sounded weird.

"Harry." Aunt Liska corrected.

"Thank you, Harry." The scary man said before glaring at Aunt Liska again.

Harry thought the whole thing seemed a little strange, but he was more interested by the small blue flowers growing from the scary man's head. Aunt Liska winked at him and held a finger to her lips. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked like they wanted to laugh, but didn't say anything. The scary man didn't notice.

The grown-ups were talking boring grown-up talk again, so Harry asked if he could go outside and play. Once he got permission he gleefully ran outside to find something to do. Spotting a good-sized tree with some low branches on the side of the house, Harry decided to try to climb it.

A few minutes later, the adults came outside, obviously leaving. Aunt Liska looked around before spotting him halfway up the tree.

"Harry, I don't want you climbing that tree. I don't think the branches are strong enough to hold you. Get down."

Harry was disappointed but started to climb down anyway. Seeing this, Aunt Liska nodded, and turned back to talk to the grown-ups. What happened next was not exactly clear. He heard a loud crack, and was suddenly falling. He tensed up and closed his eyes, but was too scared and there was no time to scream. So he completely missed seeing Aunt Liska literally vault over the scary man's shoulders and catch him, doing one more flip before landing on the ground. All he noticed that he was suddenly in someone's arms and never hit the ground. He opened his eyes to see Aunt Liska holding him. She wasn't standing up, and looked like she had fallen. The other adults were running towards them, he could see that.

"Are you alright?" Both asked at once.

Aunt Liska repeated herself before Harry could, so he answered first. "I'm fine, are you?"

"I'm fine, I just landed wrong." She let go of Harry who stood up, before accepting Mr. Weasley's help standing herself. When she did, she hissed slightly and kept her left foot on tip-toe. "I think I sprained it. I felt my ankle catch on something."

"Oh, dearie, are you alright? Here, let me have a look at it." Mrs. Weasley said, hurrying over.

"It's fine, really. A nice anti-swelling charm, a bit of ice, one healing potion and I'll be good as new by morning. Trust me; I do things like this all the time." All the same, she stood on one leg to look at it. Harry's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at the red and swollen leg.

"You shouldn't be walking on that. Maybe you should have some help." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mrs. Weasley…"

"Molly, dear."

"Alright, Molly, I'm fine really. You don't live long as a ninja without learning how to deal with minor injuries. Besides, Koto's still here. I'm sure she can handle anything I don't feel up to trying."

"But you're hurt!"

Harry really was crying by now. This was all his fault. If he hadn't tried climbing the tree, Aunt Liska wouldn't be hurt. He didn't want her hurt. What if she decided that she should give him back to the Dursleys because of this?

"Harry, come here." He came, and she hugged him.

"I'm sorry!"

"Shh, it's not your fault, and I'm not upset. I'm just glad you're alright."

"Mrs. Weasley says you're hurt."

"It's not all that bad. I'm fine. Here, watch this." She waved her fan at her foot while muttering something. Then she showed him again. Now it didn't look so bad. "See, I'm fine." This, she said to both of them. She whispered to Mrs. Weasley, but Harry heard her anyway. "You're scaring Harry. I'm fine. Don't worry."

Mrs. Weasley didn't say anything for a moment. "I could send over a casserole or something, if you like."

"I'll be fine. Koto can cook, and we should have leftovers if worse comes to worse. I'll just rest tonight."

"You're sure dear?"

"I'm sure."

"What exactly did you do, woman?" The scary man asked.

"At which point?"

"At the point where you had your hand on my shoulder."

"Oh, that. I couldn't get here fast enough on my own power, so I used your shoulders to get momentum. I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't let him fall!"

"Why didn't you just apparate?"

"Because my method of apparation takes a little longer than yours, besides the wards make it a little difficult here. By jumping, I had more control over my landing. For all the good that did me. Oh, here comes Koto, good."

Aunt Koto was indeed coming and soon Aunt Liska was on the living room couch and the other adults were leaving. Aunt Koto didn't seem very worried. She said that these kinds of things happen all the time and that there was no point in getting too excited over it.

"Well, if I'm going to be stuck on the couch, I'm going to be doing something. Harry, why don't you get me that book we were reading?"

Harry came back with The Blue Fairy Book in a minute. They stretched out and Aunt Liska began reading to him.

"I do wish she had let us help." Molly was saying to her husband for the twelfth time.

"She probably just doesn't like being dependent."

"She's barely more than a girl."

"Molly, dear, she is a woman, and a woman who until recently lived a very dangerous life. Is it any wonder she doesn't want to depend on people?"

"No, I suppose not, but I'm still inviting them over as often as possible."

Arthur smiled, knowing that Molly was conceding as much as she could. "So what do we tell the headmaster?"

"The truth. She cares about him and he seems happy." Molly smiled at the picture she had been given. "He's such a sweet child. I hope he and Ron can become friends."

"That would be nice. I hope the twins don't drive them crazy." With that both Weasleys laughed.

"Somehow, I get the feeling the twins won't find that easy. Remember what she did to Severus."

Said potions master in question was currently stalking through Hogwarts in a dark mood. The worst part was he really wasn't sure why he was in such a dark mood. Yes, he had been forced to deal with the Potter child, but not for too long. Now he had a drawing from the boy. Somehow, he had never imagined in a million years that any child and certainly not a Potter would ever give him a drawing, especially not one with rainbows. He wasn't rude enough to get rid of it with the child watching, especially not with his guardian glaring at him like that, but what was he supposed to do with it?

He ended up locking the picture in his desk and heading off to report to Albus but not before taking a muscle strain potion. His shoulders were not used to people vaulting off of them. True, he could not fault her for wanting to prevent the child from coming to harm, but did she have to use him as a jumping point?

He ended up passing Remus Lupin in the hallways. Probably the werewolf had come once again to ask Albus if he could see the boy. Severus would have traded with him in a heartbeat.

Remus gave him a strange look, which Severus ignored until Remus said, "Uh, Severus? Why do you have forget-me-nots in your hair?"

With a growl, he reached up to find that Lupin was indeed correct about the state of his hair. "I am going to kill that woman!" Severus then stormed off leaving a confused Lupin in his wake.

After some time of reading, Harry asked Liska a few questions about her potions lesson. "Why is the scary man so quiet?"

"I'm sure he's just shy. Harry, I know he scared you at first, but you can't keep calling him 'the scary man'."

"I can't remember his name."

"I know, remember how I told you in my skulk we refer to adults as Aunt or Uncle?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why don't you just call him Uncle Sevy?"

"He won't mind?"

Liska grinned evilly. "No, I don't think he'll mind at all."

Author's note: Say it with me folks. "She turned me into a newt!" "A newt?" "I got better."


	8. Chapter 8

Contrary to Snape's belief, Remus Lupin was not at Hogwarts to plead once again for visitation rights, though he wasn't opposed to the idea if the opportunity came up. Madame Pomfrey had been kind enough to give Remus a standing invitation to come by after any full moon. Remus only used that invitation after a particularly bad transformation though. This month, with the frustration of coming so close and yet so far from being able to see Harry, the wolf had been particularly vindictive. He still didn't know how he had managed to break two ribs and claw up his back so severely. Fortunately all were easily dealt with by the experienced medi-witch.

And seeing Snape with forget-me-nots in his hair made the trip almost worth it even without the healing. Of course, that led to an interesting question. Who cast the spell? Snape had mentioned something about killing a woman. That implied it wasn't a student. The women of the castle, McGonagall, Sprout, Hootch, Pomfrey, and Trelawney, well; all would have motivation to do that, but were unlikely to. Besides he didn't have any of their scents on him.

Remus closed his eyes and thought of the scents on Snape. The Weasleys, he could smell Arthur and Molly on him. But Molly wasn't likely to do that either, he thought, though he would admit to not knowing her well. There was a slight scent of fox but the potion's master could easily have picked that up in the forest getting supplies. There was an unfamiliar person's scent, possibly female. And there was a naggingly familiar yet unfamiliar scent.

He tried to isolate the last one. People's scents changed over time but the essence of the scent itself remained the same over life. This might be the scent of someone he knew once but hadn't seen in a long time. That might explain the familiarity. It made him think about the Marauders for some reason. It couldn't have been any of them of course. After all, they were all dead. Well, except for Sirius, but Snape would no more visit Sirius than he would teach potions in a pink bunny suit. Remus was fairly sure that last scent was male, which meant the unidentified female scent was probably the one responsible for the flowers. He smiled at that and made a point to find out who she was.

What was Snape doing with the Weasleys anyway? It wasn't like Snape was a social person, or that he enjoyed associating with them. In any case, it seemed like a mystery to uncover. And since Remus had woken up this morning to find that he had once again failed to hide his condition well enough and had been politely, for a change, informed that his presence was no longer required at work, it seemed he had plenty of time to work on it. Not that he was bitter about his sudden change in employment or anything. Right, and if anyone believed that, he had some self-spelling wands they might be interested in.

888

"Morning, Liska, how's the ankle?" Koto looked up from the eggs she was scrambling as Liska walked in. Harry would probably be down soon.

"Fine. You wouldn't know anything happened."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, there are a few slight twinges. Other than that, it's fine. I wouldn't want to run a marathon today, but baring an emergency, I shouldn't have any trouble."

"Good. So what do you think of the new people?"

"I think I'm going to have some fun with Snape-Sensei."

"Don't push him over the edge; he might try to poison you."

"That's half the fun, seeing how far I can push before the edge."

Koto shook her head. "And the Weasleys?"

"I'm reserving judgment."

"Oh? That bad?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, don't get me wrong, they seem to be very nice and all, but… Well, Mr. Weasley spent five minutes asking me how a pen worked. I have no idea how a pen works! And Mrs. Weasley… well, she scared Harry."

"That was unintentional and you know it."

"Yes, I do."

"Besides, which are you more upset over: that she scared Harry, or that she was trying to mother you?"

"Six one way, half a dozen the other. I'm not a child anymore. I haven't been a child since I was eight. On the other hand, she is an elder, and a relative. What can I do?"

"You want my advice or are you just venting?"

"I'm not promising to take it, but what is your advice?"

"This time, ignore it. See if she gets the message. If it happens again, if you can ignore it, do so. If not, sit down with her privately, and explain how you appreciate her concern but the way she expresses it feels demeaning to you."

"That might just work."

"That's your problem; you spend so long learning how to manipulate that you never think about just asking."

"Have to fix that. I don't want to start getting predictable."

About then, an owl flew in with the paper. Liska took the paper from the owl, and gave it some bacon. They had gotten a subscription, so they didn't have to pay every day. After being released of his burden and given a treat, the owl, instead of leaving, moved to the unoccupied end of Feathers' perch.

Liska raised an eyebrow. "Why, Feathers, do you have a boyfriend?"

Feathers hooted at her in a disapproving manner as a sleepy Harry stumbled in. "What's a boyfriend?"

The two vixens looked at each other, _You want to explain?_, before Liska settled with, "It's just one of the strange things grown-ups sometimes say."

"Grown-ups are weird."

Both women laughed at that. "They can be." Koto said at the same time Liska said, "Yes, they are."

After a bit more laughter, everyone settled down to breakfast. Liska, who had started eating first, was reading the paper, which slowed her down, so they were all eating at about the same rate.

Koto tried at one point to steal some of Liska's bacon to see if she was paying attention. Liska didn't even look away from the paper. "Only if you want to wake up in the creek." Koto didn't try it again.

"Not to kick you out of your own house or anything, but I need to perform the last ward today and it's a big one. I need you guys out of the house for a few hours."

"Oh? When and for how long?"

"Say, get lunch out and go someplace afterwards for about an hour, or two?"

"Hmm. Harry, have you ever been to a puppet show?"

"What's a puppet show?"

"Right, that answers that. They're doing a children's program in Diagon Alley today. There will be a puppet show and a storyteller. Would you like to go, Harry?"

"Yeah!"

"Where'd you hear about the children's program?" Koto asked.

"There's an article about it in here. I can drop him off, and run a few errands. It should be safe."

"You won't stay, Aunt Liska?"

"I don't think it's for adults. Besides, there will be children there your age." Liska paused. "Harry, while there, don't give anyone you're full name. If anyone asks, just tell them your name is Harry. And I'm Aunt Anna. Okay? Can you remember that?"

"Uh-huh. So the Dursleys don't find us?"

"Something like that. Done eating? Why don't you go get dressed?" Harry scampered off.

"What are you worried about? Dumbledore-_sama_ will prevent anyone from taking him back to the Dursleys."

"I don't know much about Voldemort, but he seems to have been pretty powerful. And he had followers. Do you really think all those followers are safely in jail?"

"No, you're right. So, when's the program?"

"One-thirty. I guess they're doing summer programs to keep the children from driving parents crazy."

"Probably. So, lunch out, then the program, maybe stop for ice cream afterwards? That should give me enough time. Does it say how long it's supposed to run?"

"An hour and a half."

"Oh, that's plenty of time. Now the real question is, are you willing to let him out of your sight that long?"

"Ha ha. As long as I can get whoever's in charge to swear a magical oath that they will protect him with their lives, we should be fine."

"The worst part is you're actually considering that, aren't you."

"He's got the amulet, it's a public place, and I'll cast some monitoring charms. As long as no one realizes he's Harry Potter, we should be fine."

"And if they do?"

"I'll handle it."

"How?"

"Depends on who knows, how many, and how much they know. And ages. No one's going to believe a child."

"You really need a better disguise than just the cap."

"Hmm, you're right. I'd change his hair color, but it's really hard to do that without seeing in color. With my luck I might just turn it some color that isn't natural."

"At least do something about the scar. That's an identifying mark. I'd offer to help with the hair, but I'm as color blind as you are."

"That I can do."

888

Walking to the village, before catching the knight bus, Liska suggested something to Harry. "Remember what I said about names?"

"Just say 'Harry' and you're Aunt Anna?"

"Right. If anyone really insists on your last name, tell them it's Andrews. Okay?"

"Is that lying?"

How to explain this to a five year old? "Yes and no. Remember how I sometimes go by Anna Andrews? That's not the name I was born with, but it's still me. I'm lying, but I'm not. I am Anna Andrews, at least to some extent. And if I'm Anna Andrews, why can't you be Harry Andrews?"

"Oh. Okay."

"Great. Hey, do you want to get lunch in the village or in Diagon Alley?"

"Can we go to the hamburger place in the village?"

Liska thought about it a minute. She really wasn't all that fond of those types of places, but once wouldn't hurt. "Alright." Besides Harry was almost certainly more interested in the toy and the play area then the food.

She had already done a concealment charm on his scar, so no one would be seeing that. Harry was also wearing his hat. They should be fine.

All the same, when they got to the program, Liska was a bit nervous leaving Harry there. "You absolutely swear that he'll be safe and you won't let anyone other than myself pick him up?" She asked the man in charge, or at least the one collecting the galleon for admission.

"He'll be fine. We take good care of the children. Here, take this ticket. We won't let him leave with anyone who doesn't have this ticket."

"Alright. Harry, have fun, and behave. I'll be back when it's over." She gave him a hug and watched him sit down next to another boy who looked about his age. While she couldn't make out everything over the noise of the crowd, they seemed to be getting along. In the mean time, she had errands to run.

As she passed Flourish and Blott's, Liska noticed a sign of an author's signing today. She made a mental note to check it out if her errands went well.

They did go well. She paid a quick visit to Charles Collex, her apothecary contact, to let him know she'd be around longer than planned and find out if there was anyone else she needed to be keeping an eye on. He seemed pleased that she'd be around and reported that things were quiet so far.

After leaving, on a whim, Liska walked past the area where the bookstore was that Plius had owned. It seemed strange that so routine a job ended up changing everything. The store apparently burned to the ground. MLE was still investigating, though not very intensely.

Walking away a vague idea formed of starting a bookstore to serve a similar purpose of Charles' apothecary. The problem was that she wasn't sure who could run it. She was too busy taking care of Harry and wouldn't dare let someone she couldn't trust absolutely with the job. With that she shelved the idea. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't practical.

There was some more shopping, picking up various ordinary supplies, visiting Gringotts to make sure that her attempt at transferring Japanese _chuh _had gone smoothly. It had. There was picking up owl treats for Feathers, some more parchment, some rune tools as one of hers had broken, etc.

Seeing that she still had time after taking care of her errands, Liska stopped by the bookstore. There appeared to be a long line for the author signing. Whoever it was must be pretty popular. She asked someone waiting in line.

"Didn't you know? It's Gilderoy Lockheart. Isn't he so dreamy?"

"Who?"

"You've never heard of him?" The witch asked in disbelief.

"Not that I can recall. What does he write?"

This was apparently the wrong question to ask as Liska was treated with a long and gushy rendition of all of Lockhart's books. From the looks of it, they were memoirs of a type. Also, it seemed that Lockhart was quite the expert at defense. Personally, Liska found that suspicious. If he had done half the stuff this woman was going on about, then how come the Kekotai had never heard of him?

"I just hope that he comes soon." The woman finished off with.

"Well Ladies, your patience has been rewarded." A voice spoke up from behind them. Both women turned to see a light-haired smiling man. Actually, a lot of people turned. There was quite a bit of excited chatter, squealing, and a little swooning.

"You're Gilderoy Lockhart, I presume?" Liska asked.

"That is correct, and you, my dear?"

"No one of consequence. If you'll excuse me, I should be leaving now." Something about him smelled off. Not seriously wrong, like a danger sign, but off enough to make her uncomfortable. Liska tried to slide around him.

"Now, what's your hurry? After this wait, surely you must want my autograph. Really, there's no need to be shy." He smiled even wider, but it didn't reach his eye. He also tried to put an arm around her shoulder. Liska resisted, barely, the instinct to break it.

Instead she shrugged away from the arm. "I wasn't waiting, thank you. I'm sure some of these other ladies would gladly take it though. Please excuse me." Again she tried to slip past. He moved, subtly, but enough that she couldn't get past without making a scene.

"Our mystery witch is shy. How cute. But really, I'm always happy to sign autographs."

Realizing that the more she resisted, the more he considered her a challenge, she forced herself to relax and smile vapidly at the man, waiting for him to give her an autographed picture. He again tried for her name. Liska wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but didn't want to make a scene. Suddenly she smiled. "Just make it out to Molly please."

"Of course, my dear. A lovely picture for a lovely lady. Here you are." He handed it to her, before kissing her hand. Liska deliberately waited until she was out of sight before wiping her hand on her cloak. He just made her feel slimy. Almost certainly a snake oil salesman. Oh well, even the wizarding world wasn't immune to them. And chances were that she'd never run into him again. With that, Liska put him out of her mind, and wondered how Harry was doing.

888

As Aunt Liska was leaving, Harry sat down next to a brown-haired, round faced boy about his own age. "Hi. I'm Harry. Can I sit here?"

"Okay. I'm Neville."

Before the boys could think of something to talk about, their attention was caught by some slightly older boys picking on a smaller blond boy their age.

"Your father isn't here now, what are you going to do?" One said.

"Your father always thinks he's better than everyone, and so do you. Well, you're not." Said another, giving the blond boy a shove.

"Aw, are you going to cry, like a little girl?" Asked another.

Finally the blond boy got away from them, ending up not far from Harry and Neville.

"Want to sit with us?" Asked Harry.

The boy looked at them for a moment before nodding and sitting down. "I'm Draco."

"I'm Harry."

"I'm Neville."

"Are either of you Mudbloods?" Draco asked after a minute.

"What's a mudblood?" asked Harry.

"I dunno. But father talks about them all the time. I think they're some kind of monster."

"I'm not a monster. Are you Neville?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay. I just had to check. Father says not to soshiate with mudbloods."

"What's soshiate?" Neville asked.

"I dunno. I think it means play with."

"Oh. Well I wouldn't want to play with monsters either." Harry pointed out.

"Me neither." Said Neville.

The boys then spent a happy few minutes debating what this mysterious monster would look like. Then the show got started.

First came the puppet show. Harry especially liked the puppets of the dragon, and the fairy. The fairy glowed and made sparkles whenever it moved. The dragon actually breathed fire. The tale was about when the world was full of all kinds of magical creatures, but they fought all the time. Then some humans suddenly became able to do magic and became witches and wizards, and made everyone stop fighting.

After that, there was a snack time. Each child got a glass of pumpkin juice and a cauldron cake. Harry had never heard of either of those, but no one else seemed surprised. It wasn't bad either. Harry was slightly surprised at that. He never would have thought of drinking pumpkin juice.

During snack time the boys could talk some more. Harry told his new friends a little bit about Spiderman, which they had seen on his shoes but had never heard of. This led to Draco telling Harry and Neville a little bit about Acromantulas. His father told him about them to keep him from leaving the house without permission. Hearing about the spiders reminded Neville of some minor pests that sometimes infest greenhouses, that he helped his Gran with. Each boy seemed suitably impressed by the others.

By the time they finished this, snack time was over, and story time began. Harry was very excited to find out that the stories were fairy tales. Even better, they were mostly fairy tales he hadn't heard before.

Eventually the stories ended. The adults started to gather over in one corner, where they showed tickets to the man in charge. As they showed their tickets, someone came up to various children to get them.

"Do you think we could soshiate sometime?" Draco asked.

"Maybe. I'll ask my Gran."

"And I'll ask Aunt Anna." Harry had to stop himself from saying Aunt Liska. He wondered briefly if his new friends could come over, would Aunt Liska tell them to call her Liska or Anna.

A tall blond man who looked a lot like Draco came scowling up. Draco turned even paler as the man got to them. "What are you doing sitting here? Why aren't you there, where you belong?" He pointed over to where the boys who had been bullying him were sitting.

"They… They were be…being mean. So I left."

The man scowled further before turning his attention to the other to boys. "You, boy! Is your name Longbottom?"

"Yes, sir." Neville stammered out nervously.

The man made a sound much like Aunt Petunia made when Dudley or Uncle Vernon tracked mud into the house. Then he looked closely at Harry. "And you, what is your last name?"

"Is there a problem?" Aunt Liska asked, suddenly behind him.

The man looked at Harry, then at her. "Yours?"

"My nephew. I repeat, is there a problem?"

"What's his name?"

"What's yours?"

"Lucius Malfoy, and who are you?"

"Anna Andrews."

"I recollect no great family named Andrews, nor do you bear resemblance to any of the great families."

"I'm not British."

The man relaxed slightly. "That might explain it." Then he looked back at Harry. Before either Harry or Aunt Liska could stop him, he lifted up Harry's hat. He looked for a moment, before Aunt Liska took it from his hands and put it back.

"He's sensitive to the sun. Kindly don't do that." The words were polite, but she sounded sort of mad..

"My apologies." He didn't sound very sorry. "Come, Draco!" He pulled the boy's arm and started walking quickly away, making Draco have to run to keep up. Aunt Liska turned to watch.

"Aunt Anna?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"This is Neville, and that was Draco. Can they come to play some time?"

"We'll see, sweetheart. We'll see."

Neville's Gran came then. "Well Neville, did you have fun?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I made two new friends. This is Harry."

"Hello Harry, I'm Mrs. Longbottom." She turned to Aunt Liska.

"Anna Andrews, Harry's Aunt and Guardian."

"Augusta Longbottom. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Gran? Can Harry come visit sometime?"

"Perhaps. What about your other friend?"

"His name is Draco, but his father made him leave. Can he come sometime too?"

Mrs. Longbottom stiffened. "Well now, I don't know."

"Mrs. Longbottom, since the boys seem to be enjoying themselves, I had planned on buying Harry some ice cream, would you and Neville like to join us, my treat?"

"Please, call me Auguasta. We would be pleased to join you, but I insist on paying for Neville and myself."

The boys turned and smiled at each other. New friends and ice cream, life didn't get much better.

888

Lucius Malfoy was in an absolutely foul mood. Mingling with the lower bloods in Diagon alley was never his idea of a good time. And Knockturn Alley, while useful, was even more degrading. However, sometimes, one must run errands in person.

He hadn't planned on having Draco attend that 'puppet show'. Scarcely better than the muggles! But Narcissa had suggested it, saying it would be good for him to spend time with children his age. What did he need with that? But then it occurred to him that he could have Draco inform him on what other Death Eater children were saying. So he dropped him off and told him to sit with them.

His first stop was supposed to be Scrolls and Tomes, but it wasn't there. The store had burned down. And it seemed Plius was dead. While he didn't particularly care what happened to the man, the loss of his books might put a cramp in some things, at least until he found another supplier.

Unfortunately, that first stop seemed to set the mood. In all his other errands, either something hadn't come in, or it was more expensive than planned, or there was a mix-up somewhere.

So yes, Lucius Malfoy was not a happy man. He was even less happy when he spotted his son sitting in a different place than he was told. His mood did not improve when he found out why. On one hand, none of the children of lower ranking death eaters should be hassling his son, but on the other, his son should not have just cowardly left.

Then, who did he choose to sit with? Longbottom, a blood traitor; and an unknown. That Andrews woman… She seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place her. She also claimed not to be British, but Andrews was a British last name.

The child was another mystery. He had forgotten to get the child's name. Lucius wasn't quite sure what made him think to lift the hat, but he checked anyway. Nothing strange became immediately obvious. Still something nagged at him about the whole thing.

The Longbottom boy might be useful. He was a pureblood and if Draco could win him to Malfoy ways instead of the reverse then they would have another ally. Unfortunately, the Longbottoms had far too long a history of being blood traitors for it to be easy. No, better keep Draco away from them before he started getting ideas.

At that thought, he pulled roughly on his son's arm, and increased his pace. Draco didn't say anything but ran faster to keep up.

888

Harry delighted in telling Liska about the stories he heard. She stifled a small snort at the story of wizards and witches saving the world by convincing magical races to stop fighting but otherwise didn't react.

"Aunt Liska?" Harry asked as they walked back home from the village.

"Yes, kiddo?"

"What's a mudblood?"

Liska stopped in shock. "Where did you hear that?"

"Draco said that his father didn't want him soshiating with mudbloods."

"It's a very, very rude term for magical people with non-magical parents. You aren't in trouble this time, but I don't want you using it again, alright."

"Oh. We thought it was a monster."

"Only in some people's minds."

888

The Kekotai skulk is small enough that everyone is related to each other within the past five or six generations, but large enough that not everyone knows too much about everyone else.

Being about eight years older than Liska, Koto honestly did not know the girl well. Oh, she knew about her. A clan of ninjas is quite possibly the worst group gossips possible. There were members of the skulk that she had never met that she knew more about than she knew about runes.

The fact that Sakaki's closest friends were Koto's brothers Ryo and Tora, and Kira, a close cousin whom Koto ended up mentoring, and the fact that as the chief's daughter Sakaki was always prime gossip material meant that Koto knew a lot about her, even if prior to this trip, she could count on one hand the number of times she had interacted with her.

So, when Liska walked in with Harry, Koto knew immediately something was wrong. Her smile was fake, and a bad one at that. She was radiating tension and anger, but determined not to show it. Probably not in front of Harry. Despite herself, Koto found herself becoming afraid.

Liska's temper was legendary. She had two forms of anger. Hot anger, where she would yell, and rant in various languages, was actually the safer one, though she could be violent if provoked. The more dangerous, was cold anger where she would smile, while plotting your long and painful death. With hot anger, she usually expelled her emotions while yelling. Cold anger, she would do something to get back, even if it wasn't as bad as she daydreamed.

Knowing she had a temper, and that it could get her killed (Liska had once been told by her father that she carried the seeds of her own destruction), she usually spent a lot of time controlling her emotions and making sure that she did not take out her anger inappropriately. Still, no one wanted to be on the bad side of a very angry ninja, or a very angry witch, and certainly not a very angry ninja witch. Koto just hoped she wasn't mad at her.

"Harry, why don't you go upstairs and play awhile?" Liska said, with that painful looking smile on her face. Apparently it was good enough for Harry though. He didn't seem to notice.

As soon he was upstairs, Liska cast a one way silencing spell. Koto felt some of her tension release. She was going to start yelling. That was so much easier to deal with. To her surprise, instead of immediately shouting, Liska stalked over to the fireplace, and grabbed a glass candlestick holder, tossed it to the ground, stomped on the pieces, repaired it, and repeated the process for the next few minutes. Then she started yelling.

Interestingly enough, she stuck to one language. She usually switched languages when she was upset. Unfortunately, it wasn't a language Koto knew.

"Where did you learn Swahili?"

"Your brother."

"I have five brothers, and three sisters."

"Tora."

"Tora taught you Swahili? Or just how to curse someone out?"

"I did not curse anyone out. I questioned his ancestry, his intelligence, his sexual practices, and his personal hygiene, but not a single curse word left my lips. And to answer your question, yes, he taught me how to insult anyone about anything but not enough to ask directions."

"Typical. So who are you mad at?"

"Lucius Malfoy." The words might be simple, but the tone made it clear that she was still very angry.

"Who's that?"

"Remember that dark lord who sent some followers to try to recruit us some time back?"

"I remember switching the arms and legs on one of them."

"Malfoy was the leader."

"The one we hexed into a cryptozoologist's dream and taxonomist's nightmare?"

"Yeah, that one."

"What about him?"

"I ran into him today."

"Did he recognize you?"

"No. He has a son, about Harry's age."

"Okay, so what made you mad?"

"Oh, let's see, there's the fact that he's walking around freely when I know he was one of Voldemort's followers; there's the fact he lifted up Harry's hat, I think he suspected; there's the fact that he's passing on these ridiculous prejudices to his son; there's the fact that I'm ninety percent sure he's abusing said son; and there's the fact that I didn't even get a chance to punch his lights out."

"Alright, calm down. Step one, what makes you think he's abusing his son?"

"He was rough with the child to get him out of the show and away from Harry and Neville Longbottom, I'll explain that later, and I know he hurt him, but his son barely reacted."

"Training."

"Exactly. At absolute best, he was being callous and slightly cruel. The child was clearly afraid of him, and I think he likes it that way."

"What do your instincts say?"

"My instincts say to punch out Malfoy. Unfortunately that won't help matters. Yes, my instincts say there is at least low-level abuse going on."

"Do you think it would get dangerous?"

"No, between the possibility of accidental magic, and Lucius's drive for continuing the family line, and presenting appearances, I doubt the boy is in serious danger. Though don't think I won't do something if the opportunity comes up."

"I'm sure you will. Just be sure to be careful. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment."

"I know. For now, all I can do is keep my eyes and ears open, and my mouth shut. But mark my words, I will find a way to help that child someday if I find half a chance."

"I believe it. Where will you begin?"

"We both know Lucius Malfoy was one of Voldemort's followers. I want to find out why he's still walking the streets. Perhaps I can find enough evidence to put him in jail where he belongs."

"That could work. So what's this about the Longbottoms?"

Author's Notes:

I apologize for the delay. I had trouble writing this one, and then when I sent it to my beta reader, it got misplaced in cyberspace for awhile. Okay, about self-spelling wands, I figure that's the wizarding equivalent of buying the Brooklyn Bridge. I made up a term for Japanese Wizarding currency that sounds somewhat appropriate. Who caught the Princess Bride reference? (For those who haven't seen the movie or read the book, you are seriously missing out.) The reason that she could see through Lockhart is because kitsune do not have sight as their predominant sense. Scent is far more important to them. She doesn't care what he looks like, as long as his smell seems trustworthy. His didn't. I've had one person tell me that they like how Harry acts his age, and one person tell me they expect Harry to act older, so I think for now, I'll leave things as they are. I've also had someone ask whether I planned on focusing on his childhood, of covering school, well, this will probably end up either really, really long or have sequels. Let's face it, changing the way he's raised, changes everything. And that's without the extra twists I plan to throw in. Again, I apologize for the delay, and with luck the next chapter will be sooner.


	9. Chapter 9

A.N. Sorry, sorry, sorry about dropping off the face of the earth for awhile. Life turned upside down on me several times in relatively quick succession. In addition, as a result of that, and other factors, I have had less time than before. So, I apologize and will try to be faster in the future. I also apologize that this chapter is shorter than average, but this seemed a cute place to leave it. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Koto left the next day, intending to spend a few days putting some 'interesting' wards on the Dursleys, spending another night at Foxfire house, then going back to Japan. This left Liska and Harry alone, which wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that Koto's leaving left Harry with the deep fear that Liska would leave him too. As a result Harry got clingy. While Liska could understand exactly why he was doing this, and was far from unsympathetic, she did not do well with clinginess.

After the fifth time she found herself unable to leave a room without being followed, she decided to make a few decisions for her sanity's sake. Harry needed friends. Preferably friends his own age. Friends his own age that he could play with and give her a little space!

Draco Malfoy wasn't a possibility. Even if he was by some miracle the sweetest, most loyal child in the world, his father was too dangerous. Harry was her main concern, true, but being friends with Harry might put Draco at risk too. While she wanted to do something, she wasn't sure what could be done. Chances were that the Malfoys would notice if Draco disappeared, and that the world would notice if the Malfoys disappeared. It was an interesting thought but not a practical one. No, it simply couldn't be done. Not at this point at least.

However, while she couldn't invite Draco Malfoy, she might be able to invite Neville Longbottom. She had heard of the Longbottom's, and had been quite impressed by some of their accomplishments. If she wasn't mistaken, Father had even met them once. Such a shame what happened. Anyway, the possibility had merit.

Unfortunately, she didn't know much about Augusta Longbottom other than what she learned yesterday. While she was able to get a basic idea of the woman's character, she needed more. Fortunately, she had an idea on how to get more information. Liska managed to get a parchment and quill after only nearly tripping over Harry twice, and wrote a brief letter. Hopefully, she'd get an answer soon.

The problem with inviting anyone else into the secret was the fact that the more people who knew a secret, the less of a secret it was. The answer always came down to one point. Harry had to learn how to defend himself. Hopefully it wasn't too soon.

"Hey Harry, follow me." More unnecessary words were seldom spoken.

Liska led the way to the dojo, Harry trailing after her like a puppy. "I want to show you something. Stay here." Moving into the center of the room, she began what she privately referred to as her 'Exhibition routine'. It was made up of impressive looking moves from several areas of martial arts with some gymnastics thrown in for good measure. The gymnastics moves were generally to look more visually appealing, but could be useful in a pinch. Judging by Harry's scent and wide open eyes, she had succeeded.

"Can I do that?" Harry asked as soon as she was done. Perfect.

"Yes and no. I can teach you how to do all that but it will take a long time and a lot of work. I know it can be tough, but I want you to learn, okay?"

"Okay!" Good, Harry was still thinking of this as a treat. Hopefully by the time that wore off, it would be a habit.

She couldn't teach him much yet. How to fall, certain stances, that would do to start. Then from there she could teach him the forms. Aikido would be probably the best place to start, since it didn't require punches or kicks and the main focus was using your opponent's weight and size against them. She had started on Aikido, and she had been even younger than him.

"Great. Let's get started."

888

Albus Dumbledore loved Hogwarts with all his heart. He loved it as a student, he loved it as a professor, and he loved it as Headmaster. However, that didn't mean he loved everything that was involved in being headmaster. At the moment he was dealing with one of his least favorite responsibilities, paperwork. After discipline, paperwork was what he hated most. Pity he couldn't 'lose' some of it. Unfortunately, Minerva was still angry from the last time she caught him making paper phoenixes from unnecessary papers and flying them off the astronomy tower. The deputy headmistress had threatened to bring him to Madame Pomphrey if he did it again. There were limits to encouraging people to believe he was slightly mad. One of those limits was anything that put him at odds with the school's talented but formidable medi-witch.

Contemplating the futility of paperwork, he spotted an owl heading to his window. Eager for a break, even if the letter would likely require more paperwork, he took the letter from the unknown owl. He was pleasantly surprised to see that it was from Liska, and wouldn't require paperwork at all.

_Headmaster Dumbledore,_

_I would like your advice on a certain issue. Harry very much needs friends his own age. Yesterday, I took him to a puppet theatre where he met and befriended, while somewhat incognito, one Draco Malfoy, and one Neville Longbottom. I know enough of the Malfoys to realize that Harry can not spend time with Draco, but perhaps he can safely befriend Neville. I realize that one can not ask a five year old to keep his identity secret to a friend so I request your advice in this matter. In your opinion, can I safely tell the Longbottoms? You would know them better than I. Thank you for your time._

_L_

_P.S. I would appreciate a timely response if at all possible._

Albus sat back and pondered. While it was a coincidence, the thought of Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and Neville Longbottom becoming friends amused him tremendously. Quite frankly, if Liska was willing to relax her security enough to let the Longbottoms in, he saw no particular reason why she shouldn't. He thought about the Malfoys and wondered again, what, if anything, could be done. Again, he came to the conclusion, nothing.

Putting that thought away before he became depressed, he took a lemon drop and decided to test to see if he could still slip past her anti-scrying ward. If so, he would warn her about the hole. However to his mixed relief and disappointment, he could not track her magical signature at all. That done, he was about to start a reply when he was informed that Severus was at the door.

The potions master had come to drop off more paperwork, in this case, a list of required potions supplies. "Ah, Severus, how are you my dear boy?"

"Well enough, headmaster."

"Excellent. Lemon drop?"

"Thank you, no."

"Very well, when do you plan on visiting Harry and his guardian again?"

"It has only been two days! Surely there is no need?" Severus did not look very happy at the idea of going again.

"Need? Perhaps not. It is simply that I received a letter from her and wondered if you wouldn't mind giving the reply."

"Is there a particular reason you can not reply by owl post?"

"No, owl post will be sufficient."

"Then why send a messenger?"

"No reason at all, except………"

"Yes, headmaster?"

"Except I wonder at exactly how she acts when she thinks no one is watching."

"I see. Very well, I believe I can take a little time off of work. What message do you want delivered?"

Albus smiled, eyes twinkling. He knew of the child's drawing still locked in the professor's desk. The more positive experiences Severus had with the boy, the better he could over come his hatred of Harry and hopefully the boy's father. Besides, Severus really had to get out of the castle more.

888

Despite his respect for the headmaster, Severus Snape could not shake the feeling that he was going on a fool's errand. Even worse, he was very sure that should Liska discover him sneaking around, her reaction would be……. unpleasant. He was in no particular hurry to get threatened at sword point again.

Fortunately, time as a spy had granted him a few skills including a very strong disillusionment charm. Fully disillusioned, still as a statue, thoughts as quiet as possible, even the headmaster would walk past him as long as he wasn't specifically looking. Hopefully, that would be enough.

He reached the house without difficulty, and stood for a moment listening at the door. Making out the sound of voices a few rooms away, he dared to slip inside as quietly as possible. He shut the door, and paused, trying to hear if he had been noticed. From the sounds of it, he hadn't been.

The voices led him to an unfurnished room with permanent cushioning charms on the floor, and one wall spelled to be a mirror. Neither inhabitant looked to the doorway as they continued doing, well, what were they doing?

"That's it Harry, now just move your feet a little farther apart. That's it. Shoulders back, elbows and knees loose. Feel it?"

"I think so."

"Great! Hold that pose. See in the mirror? That's what the stance should look like. And remember what that feels like. Okay, we're done."

Potter started to relax then suddenly went back to position. Liska smiled. "Good catch. _Owari_."

"_Owari_." The child repeated, and the two bowed slightly to each other. Then they relaxed.

Liska gave the fan in her hand a negligent wave before saying something to the boy that Severus couldn't hear.

The boy suddenly started to run towards the doorway, and towards Severus. Startled, Severus quickly moved aside, so as not to be accidentally discovered. And he wasn't accidentally discovered.

Relaxing slightly at what he considered a near miss, Severus closed his eyes a moment. Until one nearly six year old missile nearly knocked him over with a hug. "Uncle Sevy!" Potter cried happily.

The shock was enough for him to drop the disillusionment charm. The feared, dreaded, and avoided head of Slytherin stood with disbelief and no small amount of horror at the small child latched on to him, looking extremely pleased. He tried to speak, but all that emerged from his throat were strangled choking sounds. Which, was actually probably just as well. If he shouted at the child, the boy's guardian would be most angry.

That's when he remembered that Liska was still in the room. After all, she wouldn't want the child hanging on to him, right? His hopes of a speedy rescue were dashed as he spotted the kitsune, shaking with silent amusement and attempting to record everything with a magical camera that she must have summoned from somewhere.

Finally Liska evidently decided they had traumatized the professor enough. "Okay Harry, time to let go of Uncle Sevy. Why don't you go play a bit? I need to talk to the professor for a little while." Turning to the sputtering man, she calmly offered him tea as Potter left reluctantly, promising to see him later.

Severus found himself directed to the kitchen, and had drunk half of the confounded tea before he was able to speak, and even that wasn't as articulate as he would like. "Uncle Sevy?" He choked out.

"Well, you can't expect a five year old to pronounce 'Severus'."

"He can call me professor Snape." There, that came out almost normal. Snappish even. Unfortunately, Liska was immune.

"Nonsense. In my skulk we call all adults who aren't parents or grandparents 'Aunt' or 'Uncle'. If I understand correctly, many of the purebloods in this country do the same. Besides, I already told him to call you Uncle Sevy. If you go back now, he'll feel unwanted. That would be bad." She was smiling, her tone was light, but her eyes promised pain and lots of it should he make the boy feel 'unwanted.'

"You could have asked before having him call me..." He couldn't even say it. "By that ridiculous appellation."

"Oh, but I knew you wouldn't mind. Not once you get used to it."

"Is he also being so familiar with the Weasleys?" Actually, he probably was. They likely wouldn't mind. Liska confirmed his suspicion quickly.

"Oh yes, they're absolutely delighted."

"Of course." He grumped. He wasn't pouting. Only a complete idiot would think he was pouting.

"Well, I'm glad we have that settled. So, are you here to visit with Harry or did you have another purpose?"

Shuddering slightly at the idea of coming so far to visit the Potter boy, Severus answered, "The headmaster has asked me to deliver a reply to your earlier letter."

"Ah, yes. And……?"

"He sees no reason you cannot extend your secret to the Longbottoms if you wish. Personally, I don't see why you want to." He would have continued, but she cut him off.

"Good, thank you. I believe I shall. Harry needs friends his own age. Anything else?"

Pride and curiosity warred over whether he should ask her about how they knew he was there. Curiosity finally won. "How on earth did you even know I was here?"

"Please, the instant someone steps foot over the wards, I know they're there. If I hadn't recognized it was you, well, let's just say that strangers are not getting in here easily."

"Alright, but the Potter boy can't see through disillusionment charms…… can he?"

"No, but knowing approximately where you were, I was able to show at least a blurry outline for him to find."

He scowled and shook his head. Still, what was there to say? And quite frankly, he felt a bit more respect for her as a result. Just a smidgen. "I didn't see you cast anything."

"Don't blame me because you can't recognize what's right under your nose." Before he could decide whether that was an insult or not, she changed the subject to when the next lesson would be. Before they finished that discussion, the child came back, with yet another picture for him. This time he thanked the boy before that infernal woman could do something to his hair. He still decided it might be best to leave as soon as possible.

888

While not commonly known, some scientists insist that the sense of smell is the most memory invoking of all the senses. Most normal humans don't think much off it, not relying heavily on that sense. They take pictures, and keep them in frames or books. Remus Lupin primarily kept articles of clothing. Little things really. A shirt here, a handkerchief there. He didn't particularly want socks or underclothes for obvious reasons. His absolute favorite, to remember what happy memories used to be, of a time when he had friends and a purpose, was Harry's old baby blanket.

Baby Harry had a number of baby blankets, so no one was too worried when one went missing, even when it couldn't be found. It was even possible one of them suspected part of the truth, but no one said anything. Remus, tired of hiding behind lies for his mission for Dumbledore, while visiting with Sirius and Peter had basically taken a blanket that was to be washed, cast a spell to preserve the scents, and walked away with it. Every time he was discouraged and wondered why he was even trying to go on, he would pull out that blanket.

After the war, he hadn't pulled it out in a long time, afraid he wouldn't be able to deal with the memories. But eventually he started to pull it out again at times. Often it was when he was in a particularly masochistic mood, but still, the memories gave him some comfort. Even if all had ended in disaster, there had been good times before that. It was cold comfort, but it was all he had.

After another disappointing day, being turned down for jobs he was ridiculously overqualified for because of his condition, wondering again what happened to Harry, and other minor pieces of bad luck, Remus considered the blanket.

He knew where it was, as he kept his memorabilia together. Get it, take the charm off, and remember a different time. For a short time, he could forget his current misery. Unfortunately, no gift was without price and the price to this one could be steep. Lately, every time he tried to stave off depression by remembering the past, he could escape for awhile, before depression hit even harder. No, it was too costly. Not tonight.

The dejected werewolf fell into a troubled sleep not knowing that certain answers were as close as his closet.

888

Liska awoke, suddenly, heart racing, air catching her throat. After a moment, she could force herself to relax a little. Very little. It was only a nightmare. In the time that she had been taking care of Harry and dealing with his nightmares, she had been able to temporarily forget that she was also plagued by the dratted things. And they were certainly not playing fair.

It was alright for things to happen to her in dreams, she could deal with that. She had dealt with enough in real life. The memories of death that she could do nothing about, or even that she'd caused, was worse, but again she could cope. True, she sometimes woke up thinking she'd never be able to sleep again or even want to, but by and large she managed. But when the nightmares included Harry……. Well, that just wasn't cricket!

But it was just a dream and Harry was fine. Wasn't he?

Before she could even mentally castigate herself for being an idiot, she was at his bedside. 'See, stupid self? He's fine.' One of her more annoying, but necessary, voices pointed out. By and large, she was ignoring it, being much more concerned with watching the child sleep.

'Are you planning on going back to sleep, or are you going to stand there all night like an idiot?' Asked that same voice. She called it Critic, and ignored it whenever possible. Probably because it always sounded like a cross between Father in one of his moods where only perfection would do, and one of the nastier boys back home who had always disdained her for being a half-breed.

Unfortunately, Critic tended to raise good points even if he was insufferable about them. She did need the sleep, even if it currently felt impossible, and she really couldn't stand here all night. However, after a nightmare like that, well, not even Critic was moving her from the child's side tonight.

Finally she compromised. Moving the blanket curtaining his bed, Liska slipped into fox form, found a space on the bed, and dozed off. Even if being nearby didn't work, being in fox form usually meant that her nightmares, if she had them, were less intense.

Before she completely fell asleep, Harry started to stir, having a nightmare of his own. Liska rubbed the side of her face against his. The reminder that he wasn't alone caused him to still, and drift into a more peaceful sleep.

Neither of them had any more nightmares that night.

A.N. Okay, Liska's saying something wasn't cricket. It's a very British expression, and while Liska wasn't raised in England, her mother was, and she can pass. I figure she got the expression from her mother. Again, sorry for lateness, and thank you to all those who haven't given up on me.


End file.
